Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Days Of Our Lives ❯ Chapter 5

~*Days Of Our Lives*~

by Shasta

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Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z. Now please put down your shotgun…

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Chapter 5: Love In A Time Machine

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"Wh…what?"

It came out as a soft whisper from her soft pink lips, her emerald green eyes wide with disbelief and the slightest hint of fear..So many questions ran through Shasta's mind, unable to take in what Trunks had just told her. The idea sounded great, but what did he mean truly? Did he know where her mother was buried..? Or was it something more?

She looked deep into the timeless blue of his eyes, as if they held the answers to her unspoken questions..

Trunks took one of her hands in his own, leaning towards her untill the tips of their noses almost touched. "Shasta-chan…..there is a way.."he whispered softly as he gazed back into her eyes.

They both sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, each too nervous to speak………….

"..How..? She's….she's dead, Trunks…" The red-head whispered, the ghost of a tear trickling down her cheek. She closed her eyes against it, sighing heavily as she felt a gently hand reach to brush away the drop of salty water.

"You don't have to give me an immidiate answer…..I'll give you time to think about it." Trunks whispered softly, planting a delicate kiss upon her rosy-pink lips. She nodded slowly and rested her head on his broad shoulder, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. She felt so confused inside.Sure, it sounded good, but was she truly ready to meet the woman who had given her life….?

Getting up from her seat on the wall, Shasta wiped away the few tears that had escaped from her eyes with the back of her hand. She avoided gazing directly at him, suddenly becoming extremly interested with the metal toes of her boots.

"..Y…yeah….I'll let you know….once I've got my head on straight.." she said quietly. Trunks nodded in understanding and jumped off the wall. He took a few steps towards her and catched her chin between his finger and thumb.

"I know what you feel right now…and..I understand….if..if you don't want to do this…."he whispered, tilted her head up to look into her eyes. He was met with a soft nod and a final, delicate kiss on the lips before the young red head broke away and turned on her heels, heading up the drive without so much as a backwards glance…

~*~*~*~*~

Soft music drifted quietly from behind the closed, oak door. The tune was slow and eerie, made by a single accoustic guitar and drums. It combined with the pattering of the rain on the window, creating a soothing yet eerie lullaby.

The grainy voice of a female singer filled the room, the lyrics of the song falling onto saddened ears..

Sittin' in my bed

Listening to the fighting

All the nasty things he said

Plates go flyin'

Momma's started cryin'

I can't take this any more

I feel like I'm dyin'

The lyrics were so true to what Shasta felt right now. Memories of her troubled past flashed inside her mind, like a black and white movie on a perpetual loop. Silent tears fell from her eyes as she hugged a pillow close to her body. She could remember the fear she felt as a child, back when she lived in a stuffy apartment block with her father…her blood was laced with hatred for that man…. She hated him….she hated everything about him, from his unruly black hair right down to his karete sandals…He was the reason she was so angry these days…

She had kept all her pain locked up inside herself for such a huge part of her life, and only now, was she releasing her inner demons..

The song drifted into an instrumental break for a few moments, before returning to that haunting melody…

Momma, I love you
Remember that
Your heart is broken

I can feel your pain

We can survive without him
We need him no more
He's nothing but a bastard
Just throw him out the door

She could remember all those nights she was kept awake, unable to sleep from the sounds of the screaming downstairs in the kitchen. Her father not only abused her, but also her stepmother Marron.. every night, it was the same thing..

Yamcha would come home after a day of gambling and heavy drinking. The pair would fight over it, but with Yamcha being a skilled warrior, he always succeeded in placing Marron in the hospital. Sure, he said he regretted it later, but the young red-head knew otherwise. He was evil, his heart tainted by alcohol and heroin. He was possessed by addictive demons…demons he had no control over…demons that dominated his life..

There were so many times that he'd tryied to get help…Shasta could'nt even begin to count….but he always failed. He was a failure…and he had let both herself and Marron down…

He's dead now, she told herself. You no longer have to put up with his shit…..

…yet, a small part of her being felt grief…. Sure he was a bad person, but deep down, he was still her father. He was fighting a losing battle against his own inner demons… that tiny part of Shasta's soul felt something towards him..it was'nt love… no-where near that…..but it was'nt exactly hatred….

I feel so broken
Like broken glass
I feel so ashamed
I wanna bury my past
I wanna fly away
From this house of pain
Just fly away
Never come back again

Shasta rolled over on her side, closing her eyes as she cried softly into her pillow, listening to the song on her stereo system. There were times when she wanted to fly away from home….leave with Trunks to go someplace far away from her troubles….a place were she could find peace and happiness. On more than one occasion, she tried to escape to her Uncle Goku's home….but she was always caught…

She was also fearful of what her parents might think…she was scared of the punishment her father would inflict…..

..Sometimes it would be 6 lashes with the buckle end of his belt… other times, it was having her head held under as she bathed…..but the worst was the verbal torture… he'd scream himself hoarse, blaming her for her birth-mother's death…for everything that went wrong in his life…calling her a weakling and constantly putting her down..

Daddy, why must you yell?
You hurt my mother
You hurt me as well
I can't take this pain any more
I just wanna get up
Walk out that door
Fly away from here
Stay away from you
I want to disappear

"Why…?" she sobbed, her entire body shaking as tears fell from her eyes. She felt as if her very heart was weeping and for all she knew, it was. It would take a long time before the scars, the emotional ones, would heel over…all she ever knew in life was pain and suffering…

The song was reaching it's climax, the singer seeming to portay Shasta's own pain as her voice became sad and tearful, practically crying out the last few lyrics over the haunting chords of the guitar..

I feel so unloved
Lost and alone
I can't take the fighting
I wanna slam down the phone
What have you done?
You broke my soul
I hate you so much
I wanna crawl into a hole

(Please leave this place)

Don't come back

(Turn away)

I can't take your crap

(Let us be)

Stop hurting us

(Let us be free)

I can't take it anymore.

I'm broken….

As the last, soft note slowly died down to nothing, a knock on the door broke the eerie silence that followed. A muffled protest came from the young red-head, rolling over to face the wall with a pillow clutched tightly to her chest. The door swung open slowly, the light from the landing outside casting a soft beam of golden light on the black wood floor.

A head of shiny black hair, poker-straight and tied into a loose ponytail peered into the room, belonging to Seventeen. His ice blue eyes caught sight of the young girl lying on the bed, which in turn, caused him to shake his head. Although he was mostly Mecha, the raven-haired android did possess a shred of human emotion. He was'nt lying when he said he was fond of his adoptive daughter…..to be perfectly honest, he regretted taking the lives of her family, but what choice did he have? His psychotic wife was always the one behind the murders….and he was always forced to go along with it.

Seventeen often wondered why he did'nt just leave the deranged bleach-blonde whore when he had the chance….but then again, he often told himself, "Hell hath no fury like a psycho-blonde with an AK-47.."

A sigh escaped his lips at the sight of Shasta, trembling on the bed with her back to him. He stepped over the innumberable piles of junk on the floor as he made his way towards the bed and sat down on the edge.

"What's new, Kittycat?"he said, in the hopes she'd laugh…

"Leave me alone…"the red-head muttered, words slightly muffled by the pillow she grasped with a death grip. A sigh escaped the android's pale lips and he reached to brush a stray strand of silken ebony from his eyes. His voice adopted a more fatherly tone and he leaned towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Not 'till you tell me what's wrong….even through these brick walls, I could hear you crying…." He paused for a moment, as if thinking something over, before speaking once more. "…Is this about Marshall?"

At this, Shasta rolled over to face him and slowly sat up, hugging her knees to her chest. "I….." but then she thought better. Seventeen would never be able to understand what she was feeling right now…Marshall was'nt even on her mind at the moment, but deciding it was better for some things about her past to be kept to herself, she simply nodded at the raven haired man's question.

"Aaaaw….Kittycat…" Seventeen said in a genuinely soothing voice as he attempted to sweep up the near-18 year old into a hug. She shrugged his arm off, however, and scooted over to the wall, pressing her back against it and bowing her head low, hiding her red and wet eyes from view.

"D..don't call me Kittycat, Dad……..look…I….I need to get my head around things…"she said quietly, from her spot by the wall.

Seventeen nodded and positioned himself so that he was sitting crosslegged before her on the dark purple bedspread. "I understand…but don't worry, Shaz…you'll be okay.." he gave her a weak smile, before glancing behind him, as if checking to see if anyone was in earshot. Satisfied that there was no-one doing so, he leaned forward and motioned for her to lean in close, as if about to endulge a big secret..

"Well…..whenever I'm having a bad day, I always go to the ocean to clear my head…." A sly grin crossed his face and his voice dropped to a near whisper; "….so, for tonight, I'm relaxing your grounding…now go and get a lung-full of that sea breeze before The Blonde Baracudda finds out!"

A smile crept across Shasta's face at this. Even though 'Sven' (as Seventeen was known to her…) was her foster-father, she looked up to him similar to how she had looked up to Gohan…as an older brother of sorts. He was'nt a bad guy, Sven….to be honest, he was the only sane one in the whole damn mansion! She nodded and gave him a light hug, expressing her thanks.

"Arigato, Sven-san. I'll be back in about an hour or so.."

Seventeen nodded and made his way back across the room towards the door. "I'll go and make up an excuse…you just go take a breather." He said, before waving and disappearing down the hall and out of sight. Once he was gone, the red-head jumped off the bed and closed the door, bolting it shut securely. She then proceeded to raid her wardrobe for a change of clothing.

After about 5 minutes, Shasta had soon changed into a pair of baggy orange gi pants, a baby blue tube top that showed off her perfectly toned stomach and an orange waistcoat with the Son family ensignia embroidered on the back. The outfit greatly resembled her dear uncle's training gi, which was one of the reasons she liked it so much as she thought of it as a lasting tribute to his name. Tying a baby blue ribbon around her virtually untamable hair, she pulled it into a spikey ponytail before grabbing the pack of capsules on her dresser and stuffing them into her pocket.

With a glance towards the door, she let out a sigh. "Gomen nasi, Sven-san….but when a chance to set things right comes along, you just gotta grab it…." She whispered, before pushing open the double balcony doors and taking to the night sky, a white aura surrounding her body..

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A knock at the door caused the lavender haired teen to look up from the book he was currently reading. Placing a bookmark on the page he was reading, he closed the book over and got up from his seat at the kitchen table, walking into the hall towards the door. Upon opening it, he found Shasta standing on the decking of the porch, scratching her head nervously.

"Hey…"she said, giving Trunks a weak smile. He returned the smile and invited her into the kitchen for some chai tea.

"Am I right in assuming you wanna go an' test out the time machine with me?"he queried as he poured the boiling water into the tall, wooden mugs on the kitchen worktop. The red-head nodded and folded her arms out in front of her on the table.

"Hai….It's the chance of a lifetime and I'm sure as hell not lettin' it pass me by..besides….I've always wanted to meet my mother.."

Trunks took a seat in front of her and handed her a mug of green chai tea. She stared down into the greenish-brown water for a moment, taking in the delicate aroma of the drink before glancing over at Trunks with a soft smile on her face.

"I can understand that….but you'll have to remember to be carefull of what you say or do in the past…one simple mistake might have a drastic effect on this timeline, so for safety, you can't let slip that you're Yamcha's daughter, or that you're a reletive of Goku…it could result in you…" Trunks gulped nervously; "…..n..never being born…"

"Hai. I understand…but can I ask you….would it be alright if I gave my ..my mother a remedy? Maybe if I can prevent her heart problems, things would be different." Shasta queried, taking a short dreg from her mug.

Trunks tilted his head to one side, gazing curiously at her. "……Sure….but don't tell her too much about yourself…I don't know what I'd do if you disappeared from existence.."

One small, slightly furry hand reached across the table to rest attop Trunks' own. "Do not worry, koi…It'll be alright…….So…when's the soonest we can leave?" The lavender haired teen took a sip of his tea, glancing thoughfully up at the ceiling fan overhead.

"Tonight, if you want. The time machine should be fully charged by now."

Shasta got up from her seat and brushed the creases from her gi, a smirk crossing her face. "Then what the hell are we waiting for?! Let's get going!" The lavender haired demi-Saiyen shook his head and laughed. "Can't I at least say goodbye to my folks first?"

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"You two stay out of trouble, ya hear?" Jack said with a tone of amusement in his voice as he watched the two teenagers climb into the hatch of the time craft. Trunks took a seat in front of the control panel and checked that all the lights were green, meaning everything was working fine. He grinned and gave a thumbs up before flicking the hatch control switch. The enormous glass dome slowly came down with a dull clunk.

"Adios, Trunks! You'll be in our heart always!" Rosabella and Mia yelled, over the roar of the jet boosters. The two demi-Saiyens waved through the glass one last time before the craft raised up off the ground, accending on it's journey through time. In a burst of brilliant white light, the craft vanished from view.

The image of the ground below was soon replaced with a mass of swirling colours, having just entered the vortex through time. Every imaginable colour swirled all around them in an never-ending tunnel of colour. It was so unbelievably psychodelic that it almost made Shasta feel dizzy looking at it.

"Wow…. It's so…….groovy…!" Trunks exclaimed, awe-struck as he peered out of the hatch. Shasta leaned back in her seat and folded her arms over her head.

"Mmm…..I'm glad I was able to see this…not everyday you get to travel through time, huh?" she let out a soft chuckle and closed her eyes for a moment, imprinting the swirling colours deep into her mind where she could keep it forever.

"Needs some music though…."she muttered in a dazed sort of voice, opening her eyes halfway. She watched as Trunks pulled a capsule from the pocket of his denium jacket and materialized it, revealing a small, black leather CD case. He unzipped it and peered inside, flicking through the numerous discs with his brow furrowed.

Soon, he had found a CD he liked and placed it into the player on the control panel. All at once, a melodic rock ballad began to play. "Ooooh…..I absolutely adore this song!" Shasta squealed, sitting up with a smile on her face. Trunks chuckled and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Mmmmm….so do I.." he whispered, closing his eyes and getting lost in the music..

Emerald green eyes looked up to meet with sapphire blue. A soft smile crossed Shasta's lips as she rested her head on his strong shoulder. Trunks responded by wrapping his arms around her, holding her close to his chest as he gently tugged at the ribbon in her hair, letting her wild hair flow freely like a waterfall of crimson spikes before letting his fingers sieve through the soft, silky locks.

Gently purring sounded from the cat-girl's throat as the lavender haired teen stroked her hair, his free hand running up and down her spine. In turn, her purring got louder and the only logical thing she could do was capture his lips in a passionate kiss. Trunks responded by moving his hands to entwine hers, gently pushing her back against the soft leather of the seat, never once breaking the kiss.

"Mmmm…Trunks…." Shasta whispered softly, hands moving to wrap around his neck, pulling him on top of her.

"Shasta-chan……..I….I love you…." Trunks whispered into her ear as he moved to trail delicate butterfly kisses along the nape of her neck. A low groan escaped the red-head's lips, her hands moving to tug off his denium jacket. She wanted so much to feel his flesh on hers…. He was the only man she'd ever give herself to. He was her everything..her sun, her moon…her world.. She had loved him before she had ever loved boys…

And now she was expressing it in the best possible way. She had managed to tug off his jacket with ease and threw it in the general direction of the craft floor. It was the perfect setting for making love. The light from the tunnel cast a soft, golden hue on the craft…the music was perfect and above all else, it was with the right man..

She was vaguely aware of her own clothing being pulled off, having been lost in her own thoughts. With a smile, she reached up to kiss Trunks again, feeling his velvety lips against her own. A deep, purring growl resounded from his throat at this simply act of affection, but it was enough to know that he was feeling the same way as she. Bit by bit, items of clothing greeted the floor as they yearned to feel each other's fleash against their own.

"T..Trunks….I've….I've never done this before…" Shasta whispered, the tiniest hint of fear in her voice. Trunks smiled down at her and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Sssh….I won't hurt you….just relax…" he replied, nuzzling the nape of her neck. Very slowly, he shifted his hips and the young gat-girl could feel his arousal brush lightly against her inner thighs. A slight shiver ran all through her skin, sending up little, tiny goosebumps. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him against her body as he slowly entered her.

A gasp escaped her throat as a stinging pain jolted through her neither regeins, her back arching off the seat in protest. "Sssh…it's alright….."Trunks whispered sothingly, stroking her back with his fingertips. A tiny whimper resounded from Shasta's throat, but soon, she had relaxed enough to get used to the new feeling..

With a groan, the lavender haired demi-Saiyen rocked his hips slowly, his hands running up and down his lover's spine as he showered her lips and neck with passionate kisses. In return, the red-head buried her hands in the mass of silken lavender hair, groans of pleasure escaping her mouth between kisses.

Soon, her own hips began to rock in time with Trunks, the sensations sending delightful shivers up and down her spine. Her fingernails dug hard into his back as he thrust slowly into her, his hands kneeding her breasts gently, feeling the silky smooth mounds of fleash.

"Sh….Shasta-chan……..!" Trunks groaned, thrusting deeper inside of his lover. She responded by wrapping her legs around his waist in a deathgrip, a shriek escaping her mouth, so loud was it that it almost shattered the steamed up glass hatch.

Several times she cried out his name, one hand pressed against the glass as her back arched off the seat, an overwealming sensation of intense euphoria washing over her body.

Trunks was groaning loudly, eyes shut tight as he felt his release draw closer. His entire body was shaking in the prelude to orgasm and it took most of his self-control to stop from going over the edge. Another cry of ectasy came from the beautiful creature trapped beneath him, signalling that Shasta had climaxed.

Her walls tightened around him, sparking his own release. With one final groan, he released his seed deep inside her, before collasping, completely exausted, on top of his lover.

"Trunks….!" Shasta gasped, her chest heaving up and down as she struggled to get her breath back. Trunks took in a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair before resting his head on her chest, his entire body shaking.

"Shasta-chan………that was…..that..was…"his voice shook, his breathing fast and raspy as he lay on top of her. He felt long, slender fingers run gently through his tangled mass of lavender hair, feather-soft lips kissing his forehead. "….Incredible…" Shasta finished, closing her eyes as sleep over came her body. Trunks too felt oddly tired and it was'nt long before he joined the cat-girl in a peaceful slumber….

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Sapphire blue eyes slowly fluttered open against the thin beams of golden light creeping into the time craft from the fogged up glass. A loud yawn escaped Trunks' lips as he stretched his body, his toes wiggling. He blinked several times, a crimson blush flashing upon his face when he realised what he'd been using as a pillow.. Shasta groaned softly in her sleep, a smile upon her tanned face. Trunks grinned and took one of her cat-like feet in his hands.

Slowly and very gently, he ran his finger tips along the soles, earning a tiny giggle from it's owner. Trunks' grin widdened as he ran his fingerips up and down the underside of her foot faster….

"N…no! Please! Ahahaha! Trunks! Stop it, you evil, evil monkey! Ahahaha!"Shasta squealed, eyes fluttering open and becoming very wide. The lavender haired demi-saiyen chuckled and let go of her foot, moving up to kiss her good morning.

Still giggling to a degree, the cat-girl responded by running her fingertips along the base of his spine, near the tiny scar were his tail once portruded. He purred softly into her neck at the feeling, his left foot twitching slightly.

"Last night…..was…wow…!" She whispered, ruffling his hair playfully. Trunks smiled and kissed her again, rolling onto his back and lying next to her on the spacious sofa-like seat, one arm folded behind his head, the other entwined with one of Shasta's.

"I aim to please."he replied with a smirk. The red-head rolled onto her side to face him, looking amused. "Well, you can't deny THAT!" They both chuckled heartily, enjoying the peace and tranquility of morning. Trunks looked out of the window, one hand wiping away the mist that had gathered on the glass during their night of passion..

"Looks like we've reached our destination……good thing this is a secluded spot or we'd be arrested for indecency!" he exclaimed, laughing. Shasta shook her head and sat up, pulling on her underwear before trying to figure out were her bra had gotten to.

"You're silly, you know that?"

The lavender haired demi-Saiyen smirked at her, flashing a set of pearly white teeth. "I know…that's why we're so great together!"

Shasta rolled her eyes and fastened her bra before pulling on her tub top and gi pants, occasionally glancing out of the glass to check for peeping Toms.

"Hey, Shaz? Have you seen my boxer shorts?"

~*~*~*~*~

Once full dressed, the pair of love-struck teenagers set off on their misson. After he had decapsulized the time machine, Trunks took the young red-head's hand and together, they both flew high above the clouds, the sun's warm rays pleasently warm on their skin. A few hours had past as they flew, scanning the area for any sign of the Capsule Corp or some other familiar landmark when Shasta stopped in middair.

Her brow furrowed in confusion, a sudden jolt of pain shooting through her forehead. With a soft gasp, she raised a hand to rub her temples, a look of confusion upon her face.

"What's wrong?" Trunks queried, hooving beside her in middair.

"I…I think I had a vision…….it was faint…but I could see a large…"

"…Icejin space crusier…?!" Trunks finished, with shock in his voice. Confused, the red-head glanced over at what he was staring at. Sure enough, a large, dommed battle cruiser was descenting it's flight, landing in the centre of a great rock quarry several hundred feet below them.

"Frieza…" Shasta said quietly, not sure exactly sure how she knew that…Shaking her head, she followed Trunks as he landed silently among the folliage that covered most of a small cliff-edge, a short distance away from the ship.

"Ssh….." the lavender haired teen whispered with a finger to his lips. They both watched curiously as the ship's main hatch opened with a low hiss, a small cloud of dust rising up from the ground. A large figure appeared in the doorway, face partially obscured in the shadows. What little of his body that could be seen was covered in scars and off-colour patches of unknown materials, several metal plates covering milky white skin.

The figure stepped out of the shadows and into the daylight, revealing a bald, patchy head covered with a clear purple dome, two meancing red eyes staring out from darkened sockets lined with black. It was uncertain if the creature was male or female, but there was no doubt that this was Frieza. From what the two demi-Saiyajins had heard, he fitted the description.

Both remained silent as two more figures appeared beside Frieza,one an enormous demon with dark mauve skin and a head partially covered by a horned helmet made from white bone. The second figure was crouching on all fours and judging by the thick, heavy chains dangling around her neck, she was clearly a slave. She certainly was'nt human, as her petite, frail-looking body was covered in pinkish-red fur, save for her chest, were more than a generous amount of tanned cleavage could be seen. Her face was humanoid, but her nose and mouth were oddly cat-like and her eyes…her eyes were the same timeless shade of emerald green as Shasta's own…..they too were scarred by years of abuse.

A thin lion cloth of grubby brown fabric was tied loosely around the slave's waist, a furry red tail twitching animatedly behind her. Her hair, deep crimson in colour and cut into a spikey bob, was untidy and matted with dirt and dried blood, what little bare skin she had covered in an assortment of scars and bruises.

"M….Mother….?" Shasta whispered quietly, a dull ache resounding in her heart as it beat unnaturally fast in her chest……

Trunks eyes widdened momentarily, staring at the slave girl before turning his attention to Shasta, who was on the verge of tears..

"Gosh…they were'nt kidding when they said you look just like her…"he whispered, placing an arm tenderly around her shoulders in a bid to comfort the young red-head. She let out a soft whimper and wiped her tears away on the back of her hand, glancing over Trunks' shoulder to were Frieza and his lackys stood several feet below.

Her hand clenched into a fist, brow furrowed in anger. "Let's attack him together…."she growled through gritted teeth, her ki flaring up slowly.

"Easy….we have to bid our time 'till-"

The lavender haired teen was interupted by a loud cry of agony from below the cliff-face. He turned his head in alarm, staring down into the canyon where he saw the cat-girl slave lying on her side in a foetal position on the ground, squealing in agony as King Cold pumped several thousand volts of electricity through her body with a cattle prod.

"Do not give your king an attitude, slave! Now, tell us how to summon the Eternal Dragon or you shall feel the hot end of my cattle prod!" King Cold yelled, kicking the poor slave sharply in the gut.

"UGH!" the slave groaned and coughed up a small amount of blood, slowly pulling herself into a crouching position. Her haunting, emerald green eyes locked onto King Cold's own harsh onyx, a glare fixed upon her pretty face.

"I will…never…..tell….a…tyrant like…you…!!!" she shrieked, much to the demon king's displeasure. He growled angerly and raised his cattle prod once more, getting ready to strike…

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The sound of cold steel cutting the air interupted the din. Before King Cold even had a chance to react, he was blow away by a single, golden ki-ball. His back slamming into a wall of jagged rock, his spine shattering in several places. Slowly, he raised his head to glance upon his attacker..

The last thing he saw before death embraced him was a Saiyen…with hair of golden fire, glaring down at him with rage in sapphire blue eyes….

"FATHER!" Frieza yelled, running at full speed towards the attacker.

"Hey, Frieza!!" a female voice yelled from somewhere near the ship. The evil tyrant looked up with shock, seeing Shasta standing attop the ship, her blood-coloured hair blowing in the wind all around her, sword in hand and a look of hatred upon her face.

For a fleeting moment, Frieza visualized Goku in the position where she stood and his blood ran cold. Before he could wonder if the two were related, the young red-head jumped up into the air, sword held high above her head. A loud war cry escaped her lips as she brought the blade down with such force that it sliced the Icejin in half as if he were made of butter.

Several well-aimed slashes later, and Frieza was reduced to sushi.

"That was too easy…" Shasta exclaimed in a bored tone of voice, as she bent down to help the slave girl free from her restraints. Once free from the chains, the slave tried to run, but the young red-head grabbed her wrist in time.

"Wait! I'm not gonna hurt ya! We're the good guys! You don't have to suffer at Frieza's hands any more." She said soothingly, staring deep into the slave girl's eyes, identical to her own. A moment of uneasy silence passed before the slave girl spoke in a soft, gentle voice similar to Shasta's own yet more gracefull…

"I am eternally gracefull that you rescued me…I was beginning to loose hope of anyone ever coming to my aid…"

Trunks waved a hand casually in the air, powering down to his normal state and flicking a silken lock of lavender from his eyes. "Glad to be of service, miss." He said politely. The slave girl grinned, flashing a set of pearly white canines and rubbed the back of her head.

"Doh! Where ARE my manners? I'm Arailani, a survivor of the siege of Gaia Ari."

Shasta's brow furrowed. "Gaia…..Ari?"

Arailani nodded and flicked a stray lock of deep crimson hair from her eyes. "Hai. It is my home planet…or WAS….that bastard Frieza blew it up for his own twisted pleasure several years ago. Ever since, I've been a slave on his ship, forced to perform wanton acts of carnallity…" she paused to shudder slightly, folding her arms over her chest.

"But, those days behind me. I am now in your debt….how can I ever repay you for rescuing me?"

A soft smile crossed Shasta's lips. "Promise me that you'll tell me all about it sometimes….and perhaps answer a few questions I might have.."

Trunks placed a hand on the young red head's shoulder, squeezing it gently."Wanna stick around..?" he whispered softly, more of a fact than a statement. She nodded slowly and placed her own hand over his, her smile widdening.

"Aaaah! Young love! It's such a beautiful thing!" Arailani exclaimed, her eyes big and shiny. A flash of crimson appeared on the two teenager's cheeks which in turn, caused Arailani to chuckle heartily.

"Don't be bashful……Oi….I could really use a shower.." she sighed, sniffing under her arm and wrinkling her nose at the scent. Trunks sweatdropped and whispered into Shasta's ear.

"Wow…she even SMELLS like you..!" he said jokingly, only to get elbowed in the ribs. Rolling her eyes, Shasta oftered the younger incarnation of her mother a ride to the Capsule Corp, where she might get a chance to bathe…..however, before they could set off, a group of familiar faces appeared in their wake..

"Whoa! That was AMAZING!! Taking King Cold out with one shot…!" came a voice Shasta hoped she'd never have to hear again. She turned on her heals, her eyes darkened, as she found herself staring face to face with a much younger version of her birth father…

Yamcha was'nt much different from how she'd remembered, save for being clean-shaven and younger looking. His hair was shorter than she remembered but it was still the same man. He was dressed in a tight white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans and he stared back into her emerald green eyes with amazement in his own.

A low growl sounded from the red-head's throat and she quickly turned away, deliberatly shoving him as she brushed past him towards Trunks, who had a bemussed expression on his face. His eyes were no longer on her, but staring straight ahead at someone.

Shasta glanced in the direction he was facing and her eyes widdened in supprize…

Trunks' father, Vegeta, was standing a short distance away, looking extremly disgruntled with a nasty scowl on his face. It was a far cry from the solemn half-smiles they both knew and it was almost scary to a degree. His hair remained the same as always: Lethally spiked and swept up into a flame shape, pitch black with the darkest of purple highlights. He was also about 3 inches shorter than usual and dressed in a rather peculiar outfit consisting of canary yellow slacks, neon green high-top sneakers and a ludicrisly pink shirt with the word "BADMAN" written across the back.

It took all of Shasta's self control and common sense not to burst out laughing. Vegeta must have heard her supressed giggles, however, as he turned to shoot her a very ugly look. Instantly, she she became frozen to the spot, an icy chill running down the small of her back. This was'nt the Vegeta she knew…he was too….well…EVIL….

The young red head was just starting to think that she was in the wrong timeline when she heard another familiar voice, this time a woman she had admired for many, many years. Turning in the direction of the voice, Bulma was clearly in sight.

Instead of her usual, waist-length plait, her hair was styled into a large, aquamarine afro, sitting like a large, blue cream puff attop her head. Her wonderfully feminane figure was dressed in a VERY short dress that was cut just short of her thighs, made of a red material covered in black stripes and red leather knee-boots covered her slender calves.

She was looking curiously at Trunks, her sapphire eyes scanning him up and down as she took a few steps forward. A smirk crossed over Shasta's face when she realised what was about to happen….

"Why, hello there, stranger!" Bulma said in a flirty voice, batting her eyelashes at the lavender haired teen. Trunks looked absolutely mortified, his face flushing an interesting shade of red as the past incarnation of his mother continued to flirt with him. He cast a pleading glance at Shasta, who simply giggled, wishing so much that she had a camera right now…

Glancing over her shoulder, Shasta saw Vegeta. His eyes were fixated on Bulma and his face showed a mixture of longing combined with jealousy. He sighed and bowed his head slightly, meeting the red-head's gaze.

He flushed pink and folded his arms, glaring at her. "What the HELL are you looking at, brat?! Have'nt you ever seen a pink shirt before?!"he snapped, his voice much more hoarse than usual.

The young red head gulped and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Heh! Sorry! It's just that the colour is SO you!" she replied with a smirk. The look on Vegeta's face after that coment was enough for even the most fearless of warriors to go running home screaming to their mothers..

"Vegeta, be nice! She's our guest!" Bulma's voice came, sounding exasperated as the slender young woman approched Shasta.

The Saiyen Prince simple snorted. "I don't care if she's the Emperess of Japan, woman! The brat won't stop staring at me!"

Bulma smirked and nudged the red-head playfully with her elbow. "Aaaaah! SOMEONE has a crush on Veggie-head!"

The teenage demi-Saiyen's eyes widdened and she almost fell over from shock. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAA?! I so do NOT! It's just.." she leaned over and whispered to Bulma about how she had seen Vegeta gazing longingly at her.

The young scientist blushed and turned away from Vegeta, absently twirling an aquamarine curl around her little finger. "Aaah….I see…."

"Besides, that lavender haired cutie you were flirting with is my boyfriend." Shasta replied, shaking her head.

"EEE!! Gomen nasi! I did'nt know! He sure is cute, tho…where'd you find him?"

A soft sigh escaped the young redhead's lips as she glanced lovingly over at Trunks, taking in the sight of his unruly, short lavender locks, his gently muscular figure…and his beautiful sapphire eyes. She smiled and closed her eyes, breathing in some of his wonderful scent as the wind picked up, her hands clasping together over her heart.

"We've know each other since they day we were born….and we've been friends our entire lives…only recently did we become lovers, and I cannot imagine my life without him.." she replied in a dreamy tone of voice.

"WAAAII! That's so beautifull!!" Bulma and Arailani squealed in unison, their eyes taking up half of their faces as they gazed upon Shasta with admiration. The teenager blushed slightly and giggled, rubbing the back of her head as she always did when bashful…

Vegeta shook his head, a tiny hint of a chuckle escaping his lips. "Women….damned if I can ever understand 'em…"

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End Chapter 5

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