Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Days Of Our Lives ❯ Chapter 1

~*Days Of Our Lives*~

By Shasta

~*~*~

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for some characters I made up and the plotline, so don't sue a gigalo!

A/N: I've had this fic idea in my head for a while and have only just settled down to write it. In a way, it is also semi- biographical, as my relationship with my own father is…*eyes darken*…not exactly the kind I'd have chosen for myself… Reviews and constructive criticism is welcome.

BTW, I've altered some of the plotlines of DBZ to fit in with the story. Such plotholes include Yamcha being a Saiyen and him never being romantically linked to Bulma, to name a minute few. Well, enough of my rambling! Read on, dear reader!

PS: Arailani is pronouced ' Air-rail-lan-knee' for referance.

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~*Days Of Our Lives~

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Chapter One: The Day It All Began…

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Vegeta took a deep breath as he paced around the waiting room of Orange Star General Hospital, worried beyond recodnition. He could hear his wife's agonising screams from the Delivery room, piercing his ears like knives. He longed to be with her, to help her through the birthing process, but men were forbidden to stay within the Delivery room..

He sighed deeply and sat down on a thread-born chair, one hand running through thick, ebony black hair.

He was afraid for his wife…and for their unborn child..

Saiyen births were always complicated and more often than not, the mother would die during birth, the strain too much for their hearts to handle. This was no exception. Bulma had been in labour for the past 3 days and throughout the course of that time, Vegeta was not allowed to see her.

He felt a mixture of anger at the doctors, sadness at not being able to witness the birth and fear of something dreadful happening.

This was the birth of his first child and not only was he worried for Bulma and the child, he was also scared at the prospects of becoming a father for the very first time. He had no clue as what he should do and that very thought scared him to the depts of his soul. Across the room, another man leaned against the wall, shaking slightly, his eyes darting to the double doors of the Delivery room every 5 minutes or so. He was a young man, not much younger than Vegeta, who was 27 himself, dressed in orange gi pants and a matching tanktop.

He looked extremly tired, but there was a knowing smiled on his face, shining through.

"Man….this taking forever.."the young man said, glancing up at the ceiling and shaking his head of deep, raven-black spikes.

Vegeta snorted. "Hmmph.. my mate has been in labour for the past 3 days… not being able to see her during that time is a nightmare in the very sense.."

The young man looked up at him, eyes wide. "NANI?! IT TAKES THAT LONG?!"

"Depends on the woman…and the gender of the child, I suppose…" Vegeta said, bowing his head low.

"Maaaan……"the young man sat down beside the Saiyen prince and sighed. "The name's Yamcha… my girlfriend Arailani went into labour 3 hours ago…so far, there's no sign of the kid.."

Vegeta placed his hands behind his head. "Patience is a vertue.."

A long, eerily silent hour passed by….neither man spoke…

..and then..

…that glorious sound….

"WAAAAAAIIIII!"

Vegeta and Yamcha both sprung to their feet, eyes widdened in shock. They both looked at each other and grinned. "Congradulations!" they both exclaimed in unison, as they both raced to the Delivery room.

"Mr.Briefs?" came the voice of an elderly nurse, who was holding a small bundle, wrapped in a blue blanket.

An almost giddy smile crossed Vegeta's face as he was handed the newborn child, whimping softly in his arms.

"Congradulations! It's a healthy baby boy!"

Yamcha smiled and glanced down at Vegeta's son. He looked everything like his father in terms of nose, mouth and skin tone. A single curl of lavender hair lay in the centre of his forehead and sapphire blue eyes stared up curiously at the world that lay before them…

"I have a feeling he's gonna be a little Casanova when he gets older!" he laughed, clapping Vegeta on the back.

Vegeta said nothing, but continued to smile as he handed his son over to Bulma, who lay nearby in a hospital bed, looking considerably worn out.

"Mr.Musashi?" the nurse said, sounding somewhat sad.

Yamcha looked up. "How are they?"

The nurse smiled. "Mother and child are doing fine…although Arailani did suffer a minor heart mumur shortly after she gave birth.."

Yamcha gulped. That was'nt a good sign… He followed the nurse around a green screen, where Arailani, a pretty woman with a head of deep crimson hair hanging down her shoulders, lay in bed, cradling a bundle wrapped in pink blankets close to her chest as she fed her child.

"Ara-chan…."Yamcha breathed, sitting down on the bed beside her. His mate looked up, emerald green eyes glinting with materal pride.

"Yamcha, say hello to our daughter…"she whispered, her voice soft and dream-like as she gently moved the folds of blanket, revealing a tiny baby with light tan skin and a head of wispy, crimson hair, which seemed to look somewhat pink in appearance. Emerald green eyes blinked curiously at Yamcha as he rocked his tiny daughter in his arms, smiling proudly.

"She looks just like you, Ara-chan.."

Arailani smiled and flopped back on her pillows, one hand resting over her heart. Her breathing became somewhat laboured and her pulse began to quicken.

"Arailani? What's wrong?" Yamcha questioned, brow furrowing in confusion. The red head smiled weakly at Yamcha.

"It's my time… sorry, dear…. But I have to go…I love you…" she whispered, the life within her slowly slipping away as her heart beated one last time…

"ARA…ARAILANI!!!" Yamcha yelled, eyes wide with terror, unable to regiester his love dead before him.

"What's wrong, Yam-oh…" Vegeta called, from behind the screen, brows furrowed as he saw what had happened. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry.."

Yamcha remained silent, breathing hard. He looked down at his daughter, whimpering in his arms, as if she knew what had happened. The whimpering soon turned into a loud, anguished cry. Yamcha shivered as he cradled his daughter gently in his arms..

"Please… leave me…"

~*~*~

Yamcha stared through the glass at the rows upon rows of cots, each containing a tiny child. Just in front of him, a cot with pink blankets contained his daughter, sleeping peacefully with her long, black tail wrapped around her waist. In the cot to her right, the Brief's son lay. He was staring curiously at Yamcha's daughter, his sapphire blue eyes wide and curious as he reached out to touch the glass of the cot.

Yamcha smiled at this. He had a feeling the pair were going to be seeing a lot of each other soon..

"Have you named her yet?"

Yamcha looked up, as Bulma joined him by the window looking onto the nursery.

The raven haired man sighed heavily. "Shastania, after her grandmother on her mother's side of the family…. It was a name Arailani chose for her.."

Bulma placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, smiling weakly. "I'm so sorry, Yamcha…" She glanced at her son in his crib, looking so cute as he tried to touch little Shastania through the glass sides of his cot.

"Aaaah…. I suspect Trunks and your daughter are gonna get along just fine.." Bulma giggled, shaking her head at the sight.

Yamcha smiled weakly. "Yah… I guess so…"

~*~*~

10 years later…….

~*~*~

The young red head grimaced as she heard the voices carry from downstairs, screaming and yelling profanitys, china smashing against the wall. Every night, it was the same thing. Her father would come home drunk and disorderly and yell at her stepmom about this and that, occasionally beating her untill she was black and blue.

The 10 year old could'nt stand it any longer. She wanted so much to go visit Trunks, but if her father caught her out of bed at this hour….

Shasta shuddered at the memory… she still bore the scars, still fresh and stingy from were the belt buckle had struck her…

….but she could'nt take all the yelling any more..

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the double doors leading out onto the balcony. The night air felt good against her lightly tanned skin, her magenta pink hair blowing behind her as she powered up enough for a white aura to surround her body.

She took to the air, not looking back as she left the dingy apartment block behind her. She flew onwards to the east, not stopping untill she reached the windowsill of Trunks' bedroom, located on the 4th floor of the enormous Capsule Corp manor.

She sat down near the window and tapped twice, waiting for Trunks to answer.

The window slid open silently, a bed-ridden Trunks poking his head out, yawning loudly. He noticed Shasta crouching on the windowsill and his expression turned to that of supprise.

"Shas-chan! What are you doing here so late?"

It was then he noticed the tears falling from her eyes, glazed over by years of abuse. She looked up at him, unable to speak.

Trunks took her hand and helped her into his room.

"What's wrong, Shasta?" he asked her as she sat on his bed, knees brought to her chest, shivering from the tears she supressed. The lavender haired boy sat down beside her, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders

He felt her shoulder's heave as she tried to hide her tears.

"Daddy's drunk again… Trunks, I can't take all this yellin' any more… can I please stay here? I don't wanna go back home.." she whimpered, looking at him pleadingly. Trunks smiled and hugged her close, rocking her gently as she buried her head in his chest, sobbing quietly.

"Hey, don't cry… ssh.. it's gonna be alright, Shas-chan…"he cooed, trying to calm her down as best as he could.

Eventually, she had cried herself to sleep in his arms, her head resting on his chest, the occasional sniffle resounding from her nose.

Trunks moved her gently and lay her down on his bed, before climbing in beside her. He pulled the sheets up to their necks and smiled weakly at her.

"Trunks…."Shasta mumured, eyes half-open as she looked up at him with wonder.

"Mmm?"

"Uh…..g..goodnight…" Shasta said timidly, a faint blush rising on her face as she settled back down to sleep, her head resting comfortably on his chest, one of his arms snaked around her waist…

For the reminder of the night, they slept peacefully in each other's arms….

~*~*~

Morning sunlight poured in through the bedroom window, casting a warm glow on the faces of the two 10 year olds, lying side by side in bed, sleeping peacefully. Trunks mumbled something incoharent in his sleep and absently rested his arm across Shasta's neck, which in turn, caused her to jolt awake, gasping for breath.

"Trunks…ya….chokin'…meeee!!" she croaked, elbowing the lavender haired boy sharply in the ribs. A soft moan of protest sounded from his lips and he slowly rolled over onto his back, his eyes flickering open. He yawned loudly and sat up, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the bright morning light flooding in from the nearby window.

"Huzzah?" he mumbled, failing to stiffle a loud yawn. Shasta shook her head and sat up beside him. "Hey, thanks for lettin' me stay here….I had no-where else to go.."

Trunks smiled shyly at her, still not quite awake. "Hey, no problemo…you're always welcome here." He replied, stretching his muscles before dragging himself out of bed. No sooner had he done this when the bedroom door swung open on it's hindges. Vegeta stepped into the room, his arms folded over his chest.

Trunks' eyes widdened. "Daaa-aaaad! I thought I told ya to knock first! I coulda been naked or somethin'!" he yelled, earning a giggle from Shasta.

Vegeta turned to see her and raised his eyebrows in supprise.

"Shasta….what are you doing here?"

The red-head smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "Papa an' Step-momma were fightin' again……I could'nt take it any more so I came here to escape from it all……If it's all right with you, Mr.Vegeta, can I stay here with Trunks? I really don't wanna go back to that place.." she said, her Brooklyn-accented voice barely above a whisper.

Vegeta placed a hand to his chin, thinking it over.

"Can she stay, Dad? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease? I'll take good care of her! I promise!" Trunks pleaded, his eyes big and puppy-like.

Vegeta shook his head in amusement. "She's not a kitten, boy! Thought, in a sense, she IS half-Nekonian….Anyways, by my standards, it is fine by me if you are to stay here, Ms.Shasta. Should I go tell your step-mother of your where-abouts?"

Shasta's eyes widdened in fear. "No, sir! Don't! If Step-momma finds out I'm housin' up with a boy, she'll skin me alive!"

The Saiyen Prince smiled re-assuringly at the young girl and nodded. "As you wish, but are you quite sure? Surely, you'll be wanting your possessions if you are to be staying here long term?"

The red-head pondered for a moment, before fumbling around in the pockets of the jeans she still wore from the previous night. Pulling out a small box of capsules, she opened it up and inspected them one by one. "Hmmm….I think I've got all I need right here, sir. But thanks for the offer."

Vegeta nodded. "Call me Vegeta, dear…Mr.Vegeta makes me feel like a grumpy old man.."

Trunks laughed. "But you ARE a grumpy old man!"

The raven-haired Saiyen narrowed his eyes at his son. "Watch your tongue, boy, or I'll be nailing it to the wall! Anyway, I've been sent up by your mother to tell you get dressed for school. You'll have time for breakfast if you hurry. Shasta, do you have your school books?"

Shasta glanced at her capsules, looking paniced. "Oh, no! I forgot them!!"

The lavender haired boy smiled at her. "Don't worry. You can share mine. I'm gonna go get dressed so I'll meet you downstairs in the kitchen in about 10 minutes, 'kay?"

The red-head nodded and watched as Trunks raced to his dresser, retrieved his clothes and sped off down the hall towards the bathroom. Vegeta glanced at Shasta, a sad kind of smile on his face.

"Shame….right shame, I tell you.."

The red head looked up, her emerald eyes sparkling with wonder and curiousity. "What's a shame, Vegeta?"

The beefy Saiyen looked up and sighed. "It's a shame that you had to grow up in such a broken home…had I'd known what Yamcha would become, I'd have adopted you myself….but at least now you're safe and sound. Feel free to stay here as long as you wish. I'll tell Cora to prepare one of the guest rooms."

Shasta smiled weakly and hugged her knees to her chest. "Thank you, sir……..um…..who's Cora, by the way?"

Vegeta chuckled. "She's the housemaid. Wonderful woman, wonderful. Been in the service of my family since I was your age. You'll like her, take my word for it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must leave to inform Bulma of your stay. And I'm sure you need to dress yourself. We shall be downstairs if you need us."

And with that, the wise Saiyen prince exited the room, closing the softly behind him…

About 15 minutes later, Shasta had changed into a pale pink dress that came to a stop an inch above her knees, the hem frayed and torn in several places. Grubby black ankle boots adorned her feet and her legs were covered with rainbow striped socks that reached her thighs.

Quickly fixing her magenta-pink hair into a pair of buns either side of her head, she raced downstairs and into the kitchen, where she was joined by Trunks, who had dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a picture of a skull and crossbones on the front, Vegeta in his smart buisness suit and Bulma in her long blue skirt and pheasent blouse.

Shasta sat down next to Trunks and helped herself to some breakfast, watching Vegeta read the morning newspaper, brow furrowed in concentration. Although she had only met Vegeta on several rare occasions, she was rather fond of him, the way he was so strict yet gentle and the fact that he never spoke ill of having her over for secret lunch meetings. He was almost like an uncle to her, but she'd never admit it out loud….

The young red-head was happiest when she was with Trunks and his family and she spent as much time as she could at the Capsule Corp. Her own parents, of course, had dissapproved, stating that she was getting involved with 'rich snobs who have more money than they know what to do with'. The Musashi's-with the exception of Shasta, of course- hated everything about the Briefs, from their fabulous mansion and flashy cars to their picture-perfect family.

They were jealous because the Briefs were everything that Mr. and Mrs.Musashi were not: rich, happy and always friendly.

They did'nt appriciate their only daughter getting mixed up with them and on numerous occasions, had they tried to ban Shasta from seeing the only few people who ever truly cared for her well-being and safety.

But Shasta, who's only true friend was Trunks, always defied her parents, sneaking out of the house for hours on end just to hang out with him at his private amusement park, where-of-course-, she had spent some of the best days of her life.

Now, things could only get better as she thought of the prospect of living full-time with these wonderful people…

…..how wrong she was….

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The loud bell rang from the school clocktower, signalling the end of the schoolday. Students of all ages filed out of the huge, iron-wroth gates of Satan City Elementry, glad to be finally free from the castle-like building for another glorious weekend. As it always was, Shasta and Trunks walked side by side out of the stone entrance arch, complentating on what to do over the weekend.

"Wanna go to the amusement park? I hear Dad had a new rollercoaster build for me!" Trunks was saying in an excited voice as they both walked to the corner of Main Street. Shasta, who's brain had been mulling over what grades she had received in the end-of-the-week exams, was jolted back to Earth when Trunks waved a hand in her face.

"Hey, are you even listening to a word I've said?" he said, sounding slighty irritated.

"Huh? Oh! Gomen nasi, Trunks-san! I was just thinking about those darn exams we had earlier…"

Trunks laughed and placed a hand reassuringly on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, you're the smartest girl I know, Shas! You'd have passed with flying colours!" The red-head giggled embarrassedly, her cheeks turning as pink as her dress. They walked onwards, passing the various shops and market stalls dotted around the centre of Satan City.

"It's pretty hot today…wanna go get an ice cream sundae-"Trunks started, but was cut short by the sight of a tall, slender male figure standing before him. Shasta's eyes widdened momentarily and a tiny whimper of fear escaped her pale pink lips. She backed away slowly, having been in this situation too many times to count.

"Well, well, well! If it a'int Richy Rich and his freak of a girlfriend!" a crisp, cool voice came from the figure, stepping out of the shadows. His face was deathly pale, as if he had'nt seen proper sunlight for years and he looked around 14 or so.

His cold blue eyes glared menacingly at Shasta, who whimpered and hid behind Trunks. The boy had a head of sandy blonde hair slicked back against his head with more than a generous amount of gel, the look completely unsuitable for his pale complexion.

"Dirtbag Draco…" Trunks said cooly, in an almost bored tone of voice. Two other boys appeared by Draco's side, both huge and gorrilla like in appearance with crew-cut hairdos and matching leather jackets. They glared menacingly at the the two 10 year olds before them, as if daring them to attack.

"The Bruiser Twins…." Shasta croaked, her hand clenching tightly around the fabric of the back of Trunks' shirt. He felt her fear but stood his ground, glaring deep into the eyes of Draco, who's face was twisted into a malicious smirk.

"What's the matter, Freakalina? Afraid the twins might upstage you in a freak show?" Draco sneered, watching as Shasta's face flushed red with anger, her free hand clenching involentarily into a fist.

"She's not a freak!" Trunks yelled, which caused Draco and The Bruiser Twins to direct their attention back at him.

"Then why does it have a tail?"Draco sneered, pointing at the furry,black appendage, wound tightly around the red-head's waist, trembling slightly. Trunks growled low in his throat. It was one thing for himself to be insulted, but for this indignity to be forced upon his best and closest friend was something he possitively loathed.

His hands clenched into fists, his ki energy flaring inside him, hearing the blood pound in his ears.

Draco let out a chuckle laced with a sadistic edge. He shook his head and mock sighed. "You just don't get it, do you, Richie Rich? We don't tolerate freaks among us and seeing that you are constantly in the company of one, you risk being accussed as a freak-loving moron."

"Don't….call….her….a …freak…!!" Trunks snarled through gritted teeth, his ki surging rapidly. His father had always told him never to reveal his strenght to his fellow students, but right now he seriously considered beating Draco and his croonies into a 3 week long coma…

"But that's what it is, Briefs. A stupid, ugly freak of nature." Draco clicked his fingers and the two Brusier Twins advanced on Shasta, who clung tighter to Trunks' shirt. Despite his efforts to stop them without resorting to violence, the lavender haired teen watched helplessly as the largest of the brothers, Martan, grabbed her with such force that she had ripped a chunk clear from Trunks' shirt.

"Do it now!" Draco yelled to the other brother, Glen, who nodded and produced a small dagger from from his jacket pocket, grinning stupidly. Trunks gasped in horror and tried to reach forward, but Draco held his own knife to the lavender haired boy's throat, waving a finger in a scoulding manner.

"No, no,no, Briefs! This is simply a matter between myself and Freakalina."

At that very moment, an agonising scream of the upmost agony pierced the reletively silent street.

Trunks turned his head so fast in Shasta's direction that he almost broke a vertabrae. His eyes widdened in horror at the sight before him. Shasta was lying on the ground, curled up in a foetal positon, her breaths sharp and raspy, blood oozing from a bloody stump poking out of a hole in her dress at the base of her spine. Right next to her, a long, furry black tail lay on the ground, twitching frantically before suddenly turning limp.

This was the breaking point for Trunks, his anger reaching it's limits. With lightning speed, he reached up and knocked the knife out of Draco's hand before proceeding to kick him so hard in the testicles that it was a miracle they were'nt dangling out of his nostrals.

Draco's scream alerted The Brusier Twins to their attention. Upon seeing what Trunks had done, they tried to attack him with vengance, but instead, received the same fate as their leader. All 3 clutching their privates, they yelled oscenitys and curses as they ran off down the street and out of sight…

Breathing hard, Trunks felt his ki drop back to normal. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Shasta's raspy breathing alerted him to his senses and he quickly rushed to her aid. Kneeling by her side, he was able to see the full extent of her injury. Her tail had been cut clean from her body, leaving only a tiny, 2 inch long stump just at the base of her spine. It had stopped bleeding, but the wound was encrusted with dried blood and by the looks of it, it was highly unlikely that her tail would ever grow back again.

"Shasta…..Shasta…..are you alright?" Trunks whispered soothingly, pulling her into his arms, glancing down at her face for any other signs of injury. Appart from a few small bruises on her left cheek, the only serious injury she had substained had been her tail being severed.

Her eyes were clenched shut and for a moment, Trunks thought she had passed out from the pain, but he was proven wrong when he saw her eyes flicker open, wet with tears that had yet to fall.

"Why….why is it that the whole friggin' world is against me..?!" she gasped, failing to hide the agony in her voice. Trunks slowly rocked her gently in his arms, soothing her as best as he could.

"The whole world's not against you, Shasta-chan…I've stood by you no matter what and today's no exception….c'mon…I'm takin' you back to the house. Mom'll know what to do." He whispered soothingly, hugging her close to his chest as he lifted her up in his arms, taking to the air while white flames surrounded his body.

"T..Trunks…..t..thank you…." Shasta whispers softly to him, a faint smile playing across her lips before the pain became too much for her body to take. With a groan, she passed out, becoming limp in the lavender haired boy's strong arms. He sighed woefully to himself, the hand supporting her shoulders reaching to stroke a strand of hair that had come loose of the buns she wore eariler.

"You're welcome……" he whispered softly, picking up his speed as he raced towards the Capsule Corp. building, intent on getting his best friend the best medical treatment available…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Boy, why are you home so late from-" Vegeta started, as his son burst through the main door of the manor, looking frantic. Vegeta's eyes widdened at the sight of the unconcious Shasta in his arms and he was about to question what had happened when Trunks spoke first.

"W..where's Mom?" he gasped, breathing hard from running up the spacious front lawn. The raven haired Saiyen prince's face darkened but he said nothing and motioned towards the kitchen. Trunks sped past him like a speeding bullet and yelled at the top of his voice for his mother.

"Oh, for Kami's sake, Trunks! You don't have to ye-SHASTANIA!!!"Bulma cried in alarm, upon exiting the kitchen and seeing the young girl in her son's arms. Taking her gently from Trunks's arms, Bulma raced downstairs to the underground laboritory and rested the girl on a large, steel operating table.

"What in the name of Kami happened?!" Bulma cried, glancing at Trunks, awaiting an explaination.

"Draco McCracken and his croonies ambushed us on the way to the ice cream palour. They did'nt manage to harm me but Shasta…………they….they called her a freak and….aand…."the young boy trailed off, his entire body shaking with pent up rage. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glancing over at the young girl lying motionless on the operating table.

The blue-haired scientist growled low and shook her head. "Damn that McCracken boy! I always knew he was trouble, the moment I lay eyes on him …and his mother Drucilla…the whole bloody family's a nasty piece of work, I tell you! You stay away from him, Trunks, d'ya hear me?"

Trunks nodded. " 'Goes without saying……..can you do anything to save Shasty's tail?" he added, sounding worried.

Bulma shook her head and adjusted her glasses, peering at the stump portruding from the young girl's spine. " 'Fraid not. Since there's only 2 inches of flesh left, there's not enough flesh molecules for the entire tail to regenerate. I'm afraid the stump will have to be removed. And don't worry..;" she added, seeing the look of concern on her young son's face .

"….The operation won't take any longer than an hour at the least. It would be advisable that you stayed out of the lab for the operation as I don't want you getting in my way. Also, it could be dangerous.."

"D..Dangerous…?!" Trunks gulped, eyes widdening.

Bulma nodded. "Although her Nekonian blood is dominant, her tail was that of a Saiyen's, meaning that even under general anastetic, she's going to feel me cutting the stump off. Goodness, when I had to remove your father's tail…..it took your grandfather, 3 helper robots, Cora and titanium steel shackles to restrain him.." she said, shuddering at the memory.

"B..But Dad was a fully grown Saiyen, right? Shasty's only 10! Since she's only half-Saiyen like me, won't the effects be reduced?" Trunks said, rubbing the back of his head. Bulma smiled proudly at her son.

"Nice to see you've been studying what your father teaches you! There is a fair chance that the effects would be halved, but even so, the risk is still there. That's why I want you out of the lab in the next five minutes. I'm not putting you at risk."

"B…But-"

"Trunks, that's final! Now, please leave the room and go pester your father or something….when the operation's over, I'll let you back in to see her, okay?"

With a sigh, Trunks nodded and decented the steel stairs leading up to the laboritory door. "Well, I guess I'll go pay a visit to Gohan..it's been a while since I've seen him."

Bulma nodded. "Okay then. Be good and be sure to tell Cheech and Goku about their niece's situation, okay? If you're not home after the operation, I'll call you. Now, shoo!"

And with one last, backwards glance at Shasta, the lavender haired 10 year old made his way out of the lab, into the main hall and out the front door, taking to the air as he powered up and flew towards the mountain area were Gohan and his family resided…

~*~*~*~*~*~

A cool, gentle evening breeze ruffled Trunks' hair as he landed softly on the tall grass outside the small cottage were The Son family resided. It had been a while since he had seen his old friends, but he was sure to be welcomed with open arms.

Chichi and Goku had long been friends of The Briefs, dating back to when Vegeta and Bulma themselves had been in elementary school. They were also Shasta's blood reletives on her father's side of the family, even though they had only met less that 4 times, what with them disowning Yamcha after he became an alcoholic..

The lavender haired boy raise his hand and knocked twice on the handsome oak door at the front of the igloo-shaped cottage. Several minutes passed before the door swung open on it's hinges and a head of raven black spikey hair poked out, belonging to Goku and Chichi's only son and Shasta's favorite cousin, Gohan.

At 21 years of age, he was 11 years older than Trunks, but was always happy to have him as a friend. His handsome, light tan face was chiseled and well-refined, fixed in an expression of supprise, his chocolate brown eyes widdening at the sight of the younger boy. He smiled weakly at the new visitor and haistily invited him inside, glancing around the forrest surrounding the cottage as if fearful of something jumping out of the foliage.

"What's up, Gohan? Why d'ya look so jumpy?" Trunks queried, following the older Saiyen into the living room. He sat down opposite his father on the sofa and pointed to the tv set in the corner of the room, were a news report was underway.

"See for yourself, Trunks.." Gohan said, sounding worried. The lavender haired boy blinked in confusion and glanced over at the tv.

A bubbly blonde woman with horn-rimmed glasses placed neatly on her nose, was shuffling her papers and looking worried as she read out the latest headline:

"We interupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you this urgent news bulletin. At precisely 5:34pm this afternoon, a suspected terrorist attack was launched on the capital of Nicky Town. Civillien casualtys have so far reached a total of 4000 dead. As of now, there are no known survivors. The reason behind the attack is as yet unknown, but several media officials who had managed to escape in time have managed to capture footage of the alledged suspects in the terrorist attack." The reporter spoke.

A large 'WANTED' image of two shady-looking figures filled the screen.

The first, a teenager of around 19 or so, appeared first. He looked particularly menacing with a head of long, tangled black hair that hung loose around his sallow-skinned face, watery blue eyes staring lifelessly out of sunken eye sockets, a sneer pasted across his thin mouth. A grubby orange bandana was tied around his neck over a black shirt, barely visable under a black pvc trenchcoat.

His partner in crime, a shapely female, flashed up next on screen. Her hair was bleach-blonde with several blackened roots showing from her scalp, parted at the side and hanging poker straight to her jaw, several strands tucked behind her right ear, where several silver hoops were set in her ear lobe.

She was dressed in a black pvc trenchcoat over a baby blue tank top, a pair of black wrap around sunglasses sitting on her nose, ice-blue eyes just visable over the rim, sneering at the camera. Her lips were painted tomatoe-red and were curled into a very evil-looking smirk.

The image was then replaced by the blonde reporter again, adjusting her glasses and clasping her hands together on the desk in front of her as she sat before the camera.

"The allegded suspects, reported to call themselves 'Seventeen' and 'Eighteen', were last seen fleeing the crime scene in a black Cadilac convertible rumored to be stolen. The suspects are armed and extremly dangerous. The chief of police for West Capital City urges "To be on the look-out for any suspisous individials in the area. If you happen to come into contact with the alledged suspects, do NOT attempt to take the law into your own hands. Alert the police department at once and be sure to keep safe in your home."

Our hearts go out to those who died in the tragic attack on the Stock Exchange Corperate Building eariler today. May they rest in peace.

I'm Luna Cleavanger for Z-TV. More news on the situation as it happens."

Gohan flicked off the tv with the remote and stood up, his brow darkened. "How could this happen? All those people……dead for no reason…" he whispered, hands clenching into fists by his side, feeling anger well up inside him. Goku, who had been stony silent for the entire time, stood up and let out a deep sigh, placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Gohan, calm down. I don't want you gettin' any ideas. You've been injuried enough by those…those fiends!" he said, expression unreadable.

Trunks' brow furrowed, glancing up at the elder Saiyen with confusion. "Gohan's been hurt?"

Goku turned to Trunks and nodded, motioning to his son's face, were there was a rather long scar, still encrusted in dried blood, running across his right eye and down his cheek.

The young raven haired Saiyen growled and swatted his father's hand away. "Those people died in vain, Dad! I can't just sit around doing nothing while those maniacs are out there, probably plotting another attack! I HAVE to avenge them! I HAVE to! It's my duty-"

"Enough, Gohan!" Goku said in a strict tone of voice, taking the two younger Saiyens by supprise. His brow furrowed in a scowl.

"I'm not having my only son risking his life out there. We have to wait…to see exactly how dangerous these people are. Untill then, I'm not letting you step so much as a toe out of this house without you telling myself or your mother of your wereabouts, you understand?"

"But Dad-!"

"Don't you you 'But Dad!' me, Son Gohan! That's my word and my word is final! That goes for you, too, Trunks. I don't want you getting yourself killed!"

Trunks nodded, suddenly beginning to feel fearful of Goku's new, stricter side. He gulped and glanced out the window. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon in the distance and it would be a few hours before night fell. The lavender haired demi-Saiyen jumped in alarm, unable to believe how much time had passed since he had first arrived.

He was about to tell Goku that he had to leave when the phone rang, causing everyone to almost jump out of their skin in fright.

Goku's wife, Chichi, entered the room with the wireless phone in her hand, looking slightly irritated. "Trunks, it's your mother on the phone for you!"

The young Saiyen nodded and took the phone from the raven haired woman.

"Trunks!" came his mother's voice on the other end of the line ; "Get your butt home this instant before the sunsets! Shasta's just coming around from the operation. You can see her now.. just get home quick! I don't like the idea of you flying home alone with those lunatics running around but the sooner you're home the better. Be carefull, sweety. Love you!"

And with that, the line went dead.

Trunks sighed and placed the phone back on the hook on the wall. "Well, I guess I better get going. Mom wants me home before dark. It was nice seeing you guys again!"

Chichi smiled down at the young boy, her arms folded over her chest. "As with you! Now, run along you and sent Shastania my love!"

The lavender haired boy nodded and waved farewell before running out onto the front lawn. With one last wave, he powered up and took to the rapidly-darkening sky with the speed of a speeding bullet, heading towards the Capsule corp, all the while planning on how to exact revenge on the two terrorists who had destroyed the Stock Exchange building…

He was going to make them pay……oh yes…..

….slow, burning death to the ones known as 'Seventeen' and 'Eighteen'……

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End Chapter One

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