Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Bitter Harvest ❯ The Guest ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Don't own Trunks, Vegeta. Bulma or any of the Z Crew, Do own D'Shanti and Redd.

The Guest.

By: WeaverOfDreams

Another day was drawing to a close, the night coming on, darkness spreading across the land. At Capsule Corp, all the workers had gone home for the day. The only sound was the constant hum from the GR as it rested in the foreground of the main complex. There were two people in said room and they were both testing their abilities to their limits. A light flashed above the door. It was suppertime after all, and they were on strict orders to have their meals and not train through their mealtimes. It was an order from the woman of the house. Bulma .But only one of the said two occupants followed the rules. With a sigh, Trunks made his way out of the GR, leaving his father to train. His father seemed a bit different today, but then he did have those moods every month almost as if he had a male version of pms, not that he would say that to his father.

Pushing back the strands of hair from his brow, Trunks grabbed a towel before exiting. Wiping his brow and face, he walked towards the main house, where the smell of food curled around his nose. Trunks sniffed and seeing as it smelled delicious, his grandmother must be doing the cooking. The day his mother cooked and it wasn't burned or half cooked or a disaster, was the day that he would confess his undying love to Goten.. Chuckling, Trunks rushed to the house, hungry enough to eat a herd of horses. Upon entering the main building, he felt like something wasn't right. Frowning, he made his way into the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place, the table was set, the food was cooked as in the process of being placed in serving trays. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the picture, then he noticed there was an extra place set at the table. Lifting a brow, he wonder who was over. Feeling out ki, he knew it wasn't Yamcha or any other the other z-fighters. He felt his mother's ki, his grandparents ki, his sister's ki, knew his father was still in the GR, but then he felt and almost familiar signal.

They were all gathered in the living room. Placing the towel in one of the laundry chutes on the way, Trunks walked to the living room. He heard a chorus of laughter come from the room as he entered. Standing still, his eyes swept over the person who was visiting him. It was that Redd woman. Frowning he made his way further in, the family finally noticing his presence. His sister got up from their mother's lay and then bounced over to him. She raised her hands up to him. Grinning slightly, he picked her up and put her up onto his shoulder, his hand grasping her side so that she wouldn't fall. All the while he never took his eyes off Redd.

"Trunks, let me guess, your father isn't coming in for supper." Bulma said, a slight scowl on her face. Trunks just shrugged slightly, causing Bra to giggle. She really did love her older brother, he treated her so well. " Well, that's just fine, Redd can fill his spot."

Redd smiled softly and then looked over to Trunks. She stood up and then smoothed out her pants. That's when he finally took note of her looks. Her hair was loose today, falling free around her. She wore a blue tank top plus a pair of loose black pants with flat shoes. Around her throat was a pendent, an odd shaped one. It looked like a teardrop, but he wasn't sure of the type of jewel that it was made of . It looked like an opal, but the colors were all wrong. Must be a fake. He then looked at her face. Those bright green eyes stared back at him, searching his face. A soft grin was on her lips.

"I guess you're wondering what in the world I'm doing here." She said, her voice softer then the other time he saw her. It had an accent to it that he couldn't place. Still, her voice was like the lilt from a flute, soft, flowing. He blinked, that voice capturing him. Tilting his head to clear it, he looked her right in the eyes.

"Yeah, the thought had crossed my mind. The last I saw of you, it looked like you were gunning for me." Trunks admitted, his voice coming out a little too squeaky for his liking. Damn, what was going on with him? Why did he act and feel this way around this woman?

"Well, I only wanted you to think that way. You're really not the man I'm looking for."Redd said as she made her way over to him. Trunk's was fascinated with how her hips moved all of a sudden." But I think this would best be talked about over supper. I watched as your grandmother cooked and I must be frank, it smells delightful." She said as she gripped it arm. He was slightly surprised at how strong her grip was and yet how lukewarm her hand felt. She felt cool to the touch as her hand grasped his bare arm. Shrugging again, they made their way into the Dinning room and seated themselves. His grandmother brought in the food and they all dug in.

After a while of eating, Redd, leaning back in her chair, patting her stomach and pushing her plate away." That was very good, Mrs. Briefs, I don't think there's been another time when I have been so satisfied."Turning slightly, she looked over to trunks who was finishing his third plate full of steak and potatoes." Now's as good a time as any to tell you what's going on. When I was a child, about 21 years ago, a man came to my home and destroyed my family. I was the only survivor. We lived in a remote village so that there wasn't much press about it. No one looked for my family's murderer. I took it upon myself to find him and do to him what he had done to my family. I trained with a group of monks, learning pressure touches and ki skills."

Trunks tilted his head as did everyone in the room. Bulma placed her arms on the table and leaned on them, looking over Redd. Trunks had noticed that his mother looked tired today, almost as if she was worn out. He thought of his dad's actions today and then his mother's fatigue and put two and two together. Heat.

" Pressure touches? What are those?" Bulma asked, a brow lifting, her scientific mind piqued.

Redd smiled and then looked at them all." Everyone has points on their bodies that can cause them pain and discomfort when pressed or touched just right. Some can incapacitate a person, not allow them to move a muscle, some can stop blood flow, breathing, decrease heart rate to a point where the person faints. Others can cause muscle cramps, ki loss, while other's can kill instantly. There are releases to all these touches so the 'holds' can be lifted. I learned all these techniques plus also how to shift and control my ki, that sort of thing."

Leaning back in his chair, Trunks studied the woman. True , her body looked like it had gone through some serious workouts, she was toned and covered in lean muscle, but still, he didn't get a high ki level from her. Maybe she didn't need a high level with those ' touches' of hers. It was a technique he had heard of being used at a tournament. "You've have to be fast though, to be able to get close enough to perform those moves."

"Well, the monks taught me speed as well as technique. I may not look like much, but I'm nimble as hell." Redd said, brushing back a thick strand of blood red hair. Trunks was captivated by this woman. She had the air of confidence, of knowing what she was talking about. Her manners were great, she spoke eloquently, seemed as if she was quite smart. Plus she had a body and a face he was attracted to. Damn, his hormones had to kick in now. He hadn't dated much, went on a few double dates with Goten and the like, but never felt anything really for those woman. Sure, they were attractive and sure he would have loved to spend more personal time with them, but he always found some reason why he did want to go that far.

Sighing, Trunks rubbed his temples and looked away from Redd."So, where do you think that your family's murderer is?" He said softly, trying very hard no to think about how nimble she could be. It was a nasty line his mind was going on and it had to be stopped. Talking about her family's murderer was just the bucket of cold water he needed.

"Well, I think that he's in the tournament." She said , frowning a bit," In fact I know it. I've seen him there. I might have been a young girl , but that face has played in my nightmares ever since. He was at the fighter announcement."

It was Trunk's turn to frown. One of the fighters? Well, that skimmed the field a bit. There were a few who could be able to do such a thing. There were also a few he didn't know. He ruled out his own father because Vegeta was with Freeza at that point in time and hadn't even reached Earth. It had to be one of the people he didn't know, but then he wasn't so sure. Trunks let it go knowing he wouldn't figure it out. She already knew at it seemed like she had a plan.

"You do know if you kill him in the tournament, you're disqualified."Trunks said, pushing his chair from the table to relax a bit. He watched her, the movement of his grandmother and mother as they took off the dishes, nothing but a blip to his eyes. He might as well admit it, there was something about her that appealed to him. He watched as she thought over her response, her bright green eyes, slightly dull as if remembering something.

"Well, I never wanted to win the tournament anyway. That was just something is said, to get the crowd riled up. Sort of projected my image as a cocky fighter. These kinds of things seem to draw those kinds of people, no offense." Redd said, smirking at him.

Bulma came back in from the kitchen. She was wiping her hands obviously helping her own mother load the dishwasher. Dr. Briefs had left to go back down to his lab, which was fairly usual for him. Bra was hopping along after their mother. Bulma leaned down and picked her up, placing her at her hip. "Let's go back into the living room, it's a much better place to gab." She said as she made her way past them. Shrugging, they both got up from their places and followed her. Finding his favorite chair, which just happened to be his father's favorite, Trunks slid into the leather, shifting around to get comfortable. Redd took a seat beside him in the huge rounded sofa as did his mother and his sister.

"So, Redd, I hear you're not from this part of the world, how do you like it in the big city?" Bulma asked, watching both Redd and Trunks intently. Redd blinked and then looked around the living room. There was a good view of the city from one of the large circular windows.

"Well, I have been training with the monks for most of my life and I only got into this city a few days ago. I'm not used to all the noise and all the people, everything is so tall , it's hard to see the sun with so many buildings in the way of the skyline. But there is a lot to do here and I'm enjoying my stay." Redd replied, sliding a glance over at Trunks.

"So, what was your village like?" Trunks asked, catching that glance and holding it, leaning back into the chair. This woman provoked all sorts of feelings in him, some of which he didn't think he experienced before. He had the sudden wish that his mother and his sister were not in this room, that it was just the two of them.

" Well, it was nothing like this. The village was spread out, many low buildings. Everything had an organic feel to it. There was water everywhere, streams , lakes, surrounding the village. We would play in the water most of the time, fish. My village put a lot of faith into legends and spirits. The people were artists and writers. We produced lot of very good art and goods. But then, he came and everything was forever changed." Redd said, a hard edge coming into her jaw line. It almost seemed as if her bright green eyes got brighter with her supposed anger. Tossing her head, letting thick strands of blood red hair fall over her back, out of her face, she dismissed whatever emotion she was feeling and a soft smile come to her lips again even though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You know, I would have heard something about a village being destroyed if it made so many goods." Bulma said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Redd. Bra tugged at her mother's sleeve to which Bulma put the child down. She ran off out of the living room saying she was going to see if her daddy was finished in the GR. Redd turned her head to look at Bulma, her eyes bright, a bow lifted.

"I'm not surprised. We kept to ourselves, didn't sell any of our goods or art. We were self-sufficient." She said, giving a slight shrug and then looking at an odd shaped watch on her wrist." Well, I've got to go. I turn into a pumpkin at a certain time and I'd rather do that in my hotel room then here." Laughing she got up from the sofa. Bulma followed as did Trunks. He watched as she moved, mesmerized by her form and grace. Bulma caught the look and slapped Trunks on the arm. That snapped him out of his haze. He gave an apologetic look to his mother and then followed after Redd. She got her coat from A closet bot and was in the process of putting it on when he reached her.

"Thank you for the supper, Ms. Briefs, it was very good. And thank you for having me over at such short notice." Redd said as both Trunks and Bulma walked her to the door.

"It's not problem, though you should thank my mother for the meal. Tell Sangi I said hi ok?" Bulma said as she gave Redd's hand a shake.

"No problem, he'll no doubt want to thank you for showing me a good time." Redd said and then looked over to Trunks." you and me should get together to spar or whatnot, so feel out each other's skill, you never know we could teach each other a few things." She winked at him, an electric smile gracing her soft, full lips.

Trunks blinked and his hormone soaked mind came up with many things that they could teach each other that had nothing at all to do with sparing. Giving his head a slight shake, he grined slightly at Redd and noded." Yeah, how about up on Bendi Ridge, It's just a few miles form here."

"Sure, tomorrow, at seven p.m?" She asked, lifting a brow. Trunks felt the sudden urge to kiss her, to press his lips to hers and make her his. Blinking that thought away and knowing he would need a cold shower, he uncomfortable nodded, trying to hide the grown bulge in his pants with his clasped hands.

"Ok, then. Thanks again ." Redd remarked, a slight smirk on her lips as she looked him over again. Trunks could feel his cheeks starting to burn and he knew he was blushing. Berating himself, he watched as she opened the door and then left. Giving a slight groan he found the nearest seat and sat down. His mother came over to him and looked at him.

"Are you ok, Trunks?" She asked, placing a hand to her brow. He removed it gently and just sat there, slightly dazed.

"Who is Sangi? And why was she over here in the first place?" Trunks asked, the words coming out a little more harsh then he had planned. His mother scowled at him for his tone and then crossed her arms.

"Sangi is one of the main stockholders of Capsule Corp and Redd was here because Sangi knew her and he wanted her to know some people while she was here so he asked if I could invite her over."Bulma said, her tone a bit indignant. She calmed down quickly and then smirked, that knowing look in her eyes." You like her , don't you?"

"Mom!" Trunks protested but he knew that knowing look and that knowing look never failed. Scowling himself, he crossed his arms and brooded "Yeah, I kinda like her."

His mother gave a triumphant chuckle and then clapped him on the shoulder." Well, speaking from personal opinion and the fact that it takes a flirt to know a flirt, she liked you too." Bulma grinned and he knew that she was envisioning grandchildren.

Giving a sort of strangled groan , he got up and made his way back into the living room only to find his sister seated on his father's lap. Lifting a brow , he noticed they were watching the PowerPuff Girls. He snickered which caused him to get the patented Vegeta Death Glare from his father. Holding up his hands in truce, he made his way over to the sofa and decided to join in with all the sugary goodness. Twiddling his thumbs, not one sound, save from his sister's delighted squeals, Trunks felt himself become really bored with the program. On his way to get up, he was stopped by a hand from his father. Sitting back down he looked over to his father, who's eyes were firmly latched to the tv. It made one wonder who here was the true PowerPuff Girl fan. When the commercials started, Bra got up to go to the kitchen to get a glass of milk and some cookies. That's when his father turned to him. He was still dressed in his training outfit, Bra having dragged him out of the GR to watched this show with her. It was a ritual that she wouldn't give up even though now he had started his training again. And for some reason, he went along with it. Was the kinda thing that would make any neglected first child feel a slight sense of hostility, but Trunks was cool with it.

"Now boy, how was supper?" Vegeta asked, that smirk on his face. He crossed his arms and gave the same knowing look to him. That's when he knew he was finished. Sighing , he slouched in the sofa.

"Hmm, dunno, how was last night?"Trunks countered, giving his father a sideways glance, knowing what his father and his mother must have been doing last night. He saw the glare and then turned his head again." It was ok, I guess. That red head from the tournament was over for supper. Apparently, she knows one of the stockholders at Capsule Corp who knows mom well. Nice tidy coincidence, ain't it? She said she really wasn't out to get me, but I don't know, I'm getting this weird vibe from her." He said, shifting slightly in the sofa, a bit uncomfortable in the glare from his father.

"Oh, she's out to get you boy, but not in the way you think." He said, the smirk getting a bit more cocky if that was possible. Trunks frowned and then got what his father was saying. He could feel that damnable blush creeping into his cheeks again. Giving a short growl he got up and made his way to the stairs planing to head to his room. He stopped at the door when his father spoke up again.

"That woman is powerful, you can feel it, I can feel it, but not in the way we are. Watch out for her, she just might be the trouble you need." He said and then added, "have a good time sparring tomorrow."

Trunks frowned again. It wasn't very often that his father gave him advise. When he did, it was to be taken to heart. Nodding, he left, making his way over to the stairs, passing by his little sister on the way. She stopped him with and hand and bade him to lean down, he did and she leaned up.

"I like Redd, she told me that where she comes from, I would have been thought of as a spirit cause of my hair." Brad giggled in a stage whisper."She also said that I was cute."

Rolling his eyes, Trunks ruffled her hair and then let her go back to join their father before the PowerPuff Girls came back on. He continued his way up to the stairs, his mind on the spar he had tomorrow. For some reason , his mind thought of it as a date. Only with him could a sparing match be considered a date. Shaking his head, he made his way up the stairs to his room. Tomorrow would be most interesting.

To be continued......