Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Love In A Ruined World ❯ Normal Day, Horrific Night ( Chapter 19 )

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ nor Sailor Moon or any of the characters are owned by me. They're owned by greedy old men without families. Blah.

NOTES: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Super S (in Sailor Moon's world) and after Trunks returns to the future after the Cell Saga (in DBZ's world).

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WARNING: Small portions of this chapter include some graphic descriptions. Nothing too bad, but I'm just warnin' y'all.

---

The next morning...

"Ahhh... still a bit tired," Ami yawned, sitting up in Bulma's bed and stretching her arms. She glanced toward the other side of the bed, where she had fallen asleep in Trunks' arms. "Trunks?"

Trunks was nowhere to be found. Ami got out of the bed and stretched her arms again, then took off Bulma's white nightgown and put on an orange t-shirt and blue jeans.

"Bulma's not really the most fancy dresser in the world," Ami said to herself. "She has pretty nightclothes, but in the day..."

Her eyes glanced over to a small black smudge on the t-shirt's right sleeve.

"I guess they're good for working in," Ami said. "Now, where could Trunks be?"

Ami looked back over to the right side of the bed. The sheets had been thrown all the way to the foot of the bed, indicating that someone had recently gotten up.

"He must have already gotten up to eat breakfast," Ami said, walking over to the doorway and exiting the room. "I guess I should go down and check..."

Ami walked down the stairs and into the Briefs' kitchen, where Trunks was seated at the table, just starting to eat from a large stack of pancakes in front of him. He looked up at Ami and smiled.

"Have a good rest?" Trunks asked.

"How long have you been up?" Ami inquired, walking over to the table and sitting down across from Trunks after seeing a plate and utensils already placed there, apparently for her. "Where's Bulma?"

"She's still downstairs, working on her invention," Trunks said. "I'm sure she's just about finished."

"So," Ami said, using her fork to place two pancakes on her plate, "are we going to help all those people made homeless by Frieza?"

Trunks nodded.

"That's right," Trunks said. "I'm going to carry all of them to Nihimo Town so that they can try and find new homes there. Hopefully, the people there will be hospitable enough to except them."

"I'm sure they will be," Ami said. "Everyone seems to help each other in this world..."

"Yeah," Trunks said, nodding. "It's the spirit of communion that's kept the human race alive here, and will hopefully help us prosper again."

Ami finished her last pancake and got up from her chair.

"I'm going to check on Bulma," Ami said.

"Alright," Trunks said. "I'll be at the door in the other room, okay?"

Ami nodded. She walked over to the door leading to the basement and stepped inside.

---

Bulma, still standing next to her large workbench in the basement, was carefully doing adjustments on a small box filled with wires. She was using a soldering iron and a pair of pliers to adjust the wires to the right specifications.

"Just about... got this wire..."

A small spark burst out of the wire, shocking Bulma's finger. She let out a yelp of pain and pulled it back.

"Damn!" Bulma cursed, rapidly shaking her hand to mitigate the pain from the shock. "I'm not going to do that again..."

"Are you alright, Mrs. Briefs?" Ami asked, walking up behind Bulma and trying to glance over her shoulder.

"Ami, dear!" Bulma said cheerfully. "I didn't see you there! How are you doing this morning? Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," Ami said. "I... I kinda fell asleep in Trunks' arms...."

Bulma dropped her tools and turned around, a slightly shocked expression on her face.

"Really?" Bulma asked. "Wow... what made you do that?"

"I was feeling really bad last night, and Trunks helped me feel better," Ami said. "So... I kinda kissed him, and then he kissed me, and we kissed again, and-"

"You didn't do anything... scandalous, did you?" Bulma asked, causing Ami to gasp quietly. Bulma smiled. "I'm just joking, dearie! You sure are open with me about what you and Trunks are doing, though. I appreciate that."

"We didn't... we... if that's what you mean!" Ami said, slightly embarrassed. "So, how's the invention going? Is it almost ready to send me home?"

"Trying to change the subject, are we?" Bulma asked, a slight grin on her face. Ami's expression turned even more embarrassed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! And I'm just about done, actually. I need to get all of these wires soldered together, and then I just need to attach a few things, and I'll be all done."

"Okay!" Ami said. "Thank you, Bulma... thank you very much."

Ami turned toward the stairs.

"I'm going to go with Trunks to help some townspeople that were forced out of their homes by Frieza to find new homes," Ami said.

"That's nice of you two!" Bulma said. "Have fun, okay?"

Ami nodded.

"We'll be back soon!" Ami said. "Goodbye!"

Ami ran up the stairs as Bulma turned back toward the workbench to resume her work.

"She's such a nice child," Bulma said. "She would make such a splendid companion for Trunks... I know that Trunks loves her, very much... hmm..."

---

"Ready to go?" Trunks asked as Ami ran over to him.

"Yes," Ami said. Trunks opened the front door, and the two stepped outside, immediately seeing the large crater created by Trunks' Final Flash attack the previous day.

"There it is," Trunks said. He picked Ami up. "I don't want you to fall in."

Ami smiled.

"Thank you," Ami said. "Let's go."

Trunks and Ami flew over the crater and toward the road where the homeless townspeople had been walking. They were completely unaware of Frieza's ongoing transformation, taking place under the bottom of the crater.

---

"I'm tired, mom," Chris moaned, continuing to trudge down a long, narrow dirt road with the other former residents of the now destroyed town.

"We just got done resting a few hours ago," Chris' mom said. "We'll rest this afternoon, dear."

"I wish dad was here..." Chris sighed.

The huge crowd of nearly a thousand people walked down the dirt road. Groans of hunger and fatigue were heard throughout the crowd, most of them from small children. Suddenly, several of the better-sighted people of the crowd could spot a small speck floating toward them in the sky.

"Is that... is that Frieza?" one of the men in the crowd shouted. Screams of terror began to permeate the crowd.

"No, you idiot!" shouted another man. "That's Trunks!"

"Yes, it is!" yelled a little girl joyfully. "It's Trunks! Trunks is here!"

The crowd began to cheer. Trunks flew up to the crowd, still holding Ami. He floated down in front of the crowd and set Ami down next to him.

"Former residents of Quadra Town, I have come to carry you all to your new homes!" Trunks shouted. The crowd cheered louder.

"That's right!" Ami said. "Trunks is going to carry every one of you to Nihimo Town!"

The people gasped.

"What if they won't let us stay in their town?" a woman asked.

"What if they kick us out?" yelled a man who was standing toward the front of the crowd.

"I will talk to the mayor and explain the circumstances," Trunks said. "I promise all of you that you will have new temporary homes by the end of the day! Later, I will gather raw materials and assemble them so that, together, we can rebuild Quadra Town!"

The people cheered again.

"Now, how we're going to do this is simple," Trunks said. "I can, using my ki, keep about sixty people suspended in the air at once. I will carry sixty at a time until all of you are in Nihimo Town."

People began running to Trunks. Trunks pointed his arm at the crowd and lifted sixty of them up into the air. They floated above Trunks. Then, Trunks lifed up into the air several feet.

"I shall return," Trunks said. "Ami, would you remain here and answer any questions the people might have until I return?"

"I will," Ami said, nodding her head.

"By the way, it is not Ami's fault that Frieza showed up," Trunks said. "So treat her with the same respect that you would treat me."

Murmurs of agreement came from the crowd. Trunks smiled, then flew off toward Nihimo Town.

---

Meanwhile, Dr. Sikaki was pacing the throne room of Crysthea's castle.

"They've defeated every single monster I've thrown at them," Sikaki said, looking down at the ground as he paced. "Even when missing a member, those Sailor Senshi are incredibly resilient..."

Dr. Sikaki looked up at the shattered crystals hanging from the ceiling. The crystals had once represented the lives of Serris, Chamomile, Angelica, Rosemary, and Crysthea. Now, they were nothing more than five tiny, broken fragments of glass hanging from the ceiling.

"While Queen Crysthea and the others were powerful, they were extremely stupid and incompetent," Sikaki said in disgust. "I am the only rightful ruler of the Crystalline Empire. No, it will no longer be called that. Once I conquer the universe, all shall bow to me!"

Sikaki smiled.

"And now, I believe I shall make my appearance to the Senshi at last," Sikaki said. "And my challenge."

---

"Ami?" Chris said, walking up and standing in front of her while he and his mother waited for Trunks to take them to Nihimo Town. "How... how have you and Trunks been doing lately?"

"Just fine," Ami said. "Trunks destroyed Frieza, you know."

"Everyone sorta figured that out when Trunks came back," Chris said. "Anyway, how close are you to getting home?"

"Extremely close," Ami said. "I'll be going back tomorrow."

"I see," Chris said. "Um... Ami... I... I've kind of been meaning to tell you this, but... I kinda like you."

"Really?" Ami said, slightly taken back. Chris nodded.

"I'll really be sad to see you go," Chris said. "Um... that's about it."

"He probably just had a crush on me," Ami thought. "I mean, he couldn't possibly like me as much as Trunks does, and... well, I guess I could make him a little bit happier..."

Ami leaned over to Chris and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed.

"I'll miss you too," Ami said sweetly. "I'll miss everyone that I've met here... well, except for Frieza, of course."

"Thank you," Chris said, smiling and touching his cheek where Ami had kissed him. "I know she was just trying to be nice... and... she likes Trunks. Those two are definitely an item, I know it."

Just then, Trunks flew in, landing in front of the crowd.

"Alright, who's next?" Trunks asked. He raised his arm, lifting another sixty people into the air. "Let's go!"

---

About an hour or two later, Trunks had delivered all of the townspeople to Nihimo Town. He stood in front of a two-story house converted into a makeshift city hall for the town. Ami stood next to him.

"The mayor already said he wants to talk," Trunks said. "I hope he understands that all of these people I brought here need homes."

Ami smiled.

"I'm sure he will, Trunks," Ami said. "Let's talk to him, okay?"

Trunks and Ami walked into the small city hall and headed upstairs to the mayor's office.

---

The mayor's office was a fairly large room, with a wooden floor that was covered by a fancy red carpet, probably one of the last few left after the androids ravaged the Earth. The room had little furniture, mostly consisting of a wooden desk at the opposite end of the room with one chair on the far side and two chairs across from it. The mayor occupied the far chair. He was a fairly short, fat, old looking man wearing a fancy gray suit. He had a small amount of gray hair on his head with a grey mustache. He wore thick glasses on his face.

"Come sit down," the mayor said to Trunks and Ami. They obliged, sitting in the two chairs across from the mayor. "I know why you've come here, Trunks."

"As you know, the nine hundred and seventy three people living in Quadra Town had their homes destroyed by an attack from a deadly monster named Frieza," Trunks said.

"That's what my secretary told me," the mayor replied.

"I humbly ask you to allow these people to be temporarily quartered in the homes of your residents for several months," Trunks said. "This will give them enough time to build a new town for themselves."

"I see," the mayor said. "Instead of building a new town in the location of the old one, why don't we build new buildings in this town instead so that the residents of Quadra Town don't have to commute to work on building the new city, and the new buildings can be inhabited immediately."

"I see," Trunks said.

"What about the church outside of Quadra Town?" Ami asked. "It was left standing by Frieza's attack, and I'm sure the residents of Quadra Town would like to use it...."

"I forgot about that," the mayor said. "We could build a new church..."

"The old one hasn't been used in a while, anyway," Trunks said. "It was mostly used during the android attacks as a shelter, and not really as a place of worship. They won't miss it. It can remain as a memorial to the old town there."

"Alright," the mayor said. "So the new houses will be built here, and I'm sure that the residents of this town will allow the residents of Quadra Town to stay in their homes."

"Ami and I can stay for the rest of the day to assist everyone in working out living arrangements," Trunks said. "That is, if that's what you want to spend your last day here doing, Ami..."

"I would like to help the people very much," Ami said.

"I'll help too," the mayor said. "The towns of Nihimo and Quadra will work together to be united in this time of need."

"Great!" Trunks said.

---

While Trunks and Ami stayed to help in Nihimo Town, Bulma was still at her home, working on the invention that would help Ami to get home once more. Day quickly turned into night, and as the sun set, Bulma was putting the finishing touches on her invention that would send Ami home.

"I think Ami will be really happy once she sees this!" Bulma said. On the table was a large gray and black metallic box with a large red button on it. A hole cut into the middle of the box had a small glass panel over it, protecting the sensitive contents inside. The hole in the box was apparently where a dimensional gate would be projected. "Now, to screw in a few screws in the back, and-"

Suddenly, a faint rumbling noise could be heard. Bulma perked her ears up, trying to figure out where the noise had come from.

"What was that?" Bulma asked, slightly startled. "It sounded like-"

Another rumbling noise was heard. This time, the noise caused the basement to shake slightly.

"I'd better go investigate," Bulma said. "It's coming from upstairs!"

Bulma ran up the stairs.

---

Outside, an incredible thing was occurring. The crater formed by Trunks' Final Flash attack now had several huge cracks, which had been made all around the rim of the crater. Dark purple light was emanating from the cracks, and a large beam of purple light from the center of the crater was rising up into the sky. Rocks were floating up into the sky around the light, upward from the crater, and the ground around the crater had begun to shake violently. Bulma ran outside onto her front porch and gasped at what she saw.

"The crater... it's... oh no, no! No, it can't be!"

More rocks began flying upward from the crater, creating more beams of light.

"This is bad," Bulma said. "Frieza's the only thing that could be causing this... I have to get out of here!"

Bulma began to run, but stopped suddenly at the foot of the crater. She ran back, toward the door of her house.

"I have to finish the machine," Bulma said. "I wouldn't be able to escape anyway... I can feel that Frieza is just about to emerge from the crater... he would see me..."

Bulma ran into the house fearfully, and back down into the basement. She screwed the last screws into the back of the machine, then began frantically scribbling something on a piece of paper.

---

Outside, the crater continued to shake, spewing purple light and rocks upward from it. Finally, the center of the crater burst open, and up from the crater emerged a truly horrible sight. It was the final form of Frieza.

"This is incredible," Frieza said as he rose up out of the crater. "Now, I am truly unstoppable!"

Frieza's final form was a fearful sight to behold, its appearance truly demonic. While he was smaller in size than his previous form, in fact, his height was nearly identical to Trunks'. His body was also streamlined and less muscular than his previous form. However, his appearance had changed in more ways. His body, once mostly white with large segments of purple, was now completely black, from his head to his tail. His eyes were narrow but menacing, an incredibly intense solid blood red, with no pupils or irises visible. His lips were also blood red, and inside his mouth were rows of sharp deadly teeth. His arms and legs were slightly muscular, and his hands and feet were a bit smaller than before. At the tips of his fingers were sharp, red fingernails, and at the tips of his three toes were deadly black talons. He had two large red horns protruding out from his rounded black head, and his tail was also long and black, up to the tip. Frieza's most horrific new feature were two large, devilish wings coming from his back. The wings were obviously decorative, as Frieza used his intense ki to fly. The wings had several tears and scars in them, making them appear to be ripped and broken.

"Perfect," Frieza said. "Just the right form I need to strike fear in the hearts of all of my victims... especially Trunks."

Frieza turned toward the Briefs' house, smiling.

"Trunks isn't home... neither, I assume, is Ami..." Frieza said. "But perhaps this is a good thing."

The still smiling Frieza slowly descended toward the house.

---

"Done," Bulma said, setting the note down next to the invention. "If Frieza catches me down here, he'll destroy the invention... I have to get away from it..."

A tear slid down Bulma's face.

"I know what's going to happen to me... my only wish is that Trunks and Ami remain safe..."

Bulma ran up the stairs and into the living room of her house. She looked toward the door.

"Frieza hasn't come yet... but... it's so quiet... maybe he went away..."

Bulma wiped the tears from her face and looked at the door with a mixture of hope and determination.

"I'm going to make a run for it," Bulma said. "Here goes nothing..."

But before Bulma could even take a single step, the door flew open. Frieza stepped inside the house with a sadistic smile on his face. Bulma screamed in terror.

"Looks like I've found the right place," Frieza said. "Is Trunks home?"

"You... you won't... you won't find him here, or Ami," Bulma said, trembling in fear. A thunderclap shook the house as a bolt of lightning streaked through the sky.

"Good," Frieza said. "I don't want them yet. I want you."

---

Trunks and Ami stood at the entrance of Nihimo Town, where a large crowd of people had gathered to say goodbye to them.

"Goodbye!" Ami said. The crowd cheered and shouted statements of thanks in response. Ami and Trunks waved to the crowd.

"Alright," Trunks said. "I wonder what mom's making for supper tonight?"

"I'm sure it'll be a big meal!" Ami said. "It's my last night here, after all..."

"Let's go!" Trunks shouted. Trunks picked Ami up and flew back toward his home with incredible speed.

---

As Trunks neared his home, his eyes glanced to the large crater that was in front of it.

"I don't like that at all," Trunks said, noticing all of the cracks at the crater's bottom. "That isn't good!"

"Hurry!" Ami shouted. Trunks flew down to the front porch of his home. Immediately, he noticed that the door had been kicked down.

"No, no..." Trunks said. "NO!"

Trunks set Ami down. The two teens ran into the house. A trail of blood was on the floor, leading into the kitchen.

"MOM!" Trunks shouted, running into the kitchen with Ami.

"Mrs. Briefs, where are you?" Ami shouted.

Trunks gasped. His face immediately curled into an expression of shock, rage and despair. Tears began to slide down his face. As soon as Ami saw what Trunks saw, she screamed in terror.

"No..." Trunks sobbed. "MOTHER!"

(Here comes the graphic part. For all squeamish people: Bulma was hurt bad.)

Sprawled out on the kitchen floor was the unconscious body of Trunks' mother, Bulma, lying in a large pool of blood. Her face was badly bruised and slashed up, bleeding onto the floor. Small streams of blood were coming down from Bulma's nose and mouth. Her clothes had been ripped to shreds, completely stained red with blood. More bruises and cuts were on Bulma's chest, arms and legs, most of which had already stopped bleeding except for the largest cuts. A large stab went deep into Bulma's stomach, still bleeding heavily. Trunks kneeled down next to her and cried.

(It's over now.)

"Mom... I'm... I'm sorry... I'M SORRY!" Trunks screamed in despair. Ami kneeled down next to Bulma and put two fingers on Bulma's neck, which had been untouched by Frieza except for a small cut which didn't cross any of Bulma's arteries.

"Trunks... she still has a pulse..." Ami said quietly. "It's faint, but-"

"She's alive?" Trunks shouted.

"T...T...Trunks...." Bulma said weakly, her eyes still closed.

"Mom, don't try to talk," Trunks said. "What the hell did that sick bastard DO to her?"

"I'll get the Senzu Bean!" Ami shouted. "You'll be fixed right up!"

"No," Bulma breathed, coughing up blood so that she was able to speak. "Save... save it... Trunks... you'll need it..."

"No, mom, I'm getting you that Senzu Bean," Trunks said.

"Don't..." Bulma whispered. "Just... just..."

Bulma fell unconscious again.

"Ami, get the medical tape, now," Trunks said. "We just bought some a few days ago, it should be in the living room. HURRY!"

Ami ran into the living room and grabbed the medical tape. Trunks snatched it from her. He slowly, slowly removed all of Bulma's clothes and began taping her wounds.

"Ami," Trunks said, handing Ami the medical tape, "Finish bandaging her. I'm going to go get all the medical equipment from downstairs and set it up next to mom's bed. It's veyr good equipment that should sustain her for quite some time."

Ami nodded, and completely ignoring the fact that Bulma was nude, continued applying the tape to Bulma's wounds while Trunks ran to get the medical equipment.

---

About twenty minutes later, the still unconscious and heavily bandaged Bulma was lying on her bed, hooked up to several medical devices that dripped fluid into her body and monitored her vital signs.

"Mom made all this stuff by herself," Trunks said. "I've actually had it used on me before after fighting the androids. She tried to build a recovery chamber, but she couldn't get all of the right parts for it. If we had one, we'd be able to heal mom completely in less than an hour."

Trunks bowed his head and began sobbing violently. Ami, also crying, wrapped her arms around him, trying to comfort him as best she could.

"Your mother's going to be fine, I know she will," Ami said. "Trunks..."

"I'm going to get that Frieza," Trunks said. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Do you even know where he is?" Ami asked.

"I can't sense him..." Trunks said. "He must be able to mask his ki-"

Suddenly, Trunks felt an incredible rush of evil energy. He growled.

"Now Frieza wants me to come to him," Trunks said. "Ami, stay with mom."

Ami nodded. Trunks ran downstairs, then flew outside.

---

"FRIEZA!" Trunks yelled, flying to where he had felt the evil energy source, about a mile from his home. "Frieza, come out here NOW!"

"I'm right here, Trunks," Frieza said. Trunks turned around to see the newly transformed Frieza, floating in the air next to him.

"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU TO PIECES!" shouted Trunks in an extremely enraged tone. His ki flared up, and he immediately transformed into his Ultimate Super Saiyan state.

"I really wouldn't do that," Frieza said. "I'm a lot faster than my last form."

"Die!" Trunks yelled, completely ignoring what Frieza had said. He floated at Frieza and tried to punch him, but Frieza easily dodged the punch, leaping behind Trunks.

"I told you so," Frieza said. He spun around and kicked Trunks in the back. Trunks screamed in pain and plummeted hundreds of feet to the ground.

"I won't give up," Trunks said. "I'll avenge my mother!"

Trunks flew up at Frieza again. Frieza pointed his arm at Trunks and fired a ball of ki, which Trunks smacked away with his hand. He flew right up to Frieza and punched him hard in the face, knocking Frieza back.

"You sick freak!" Trunks shouted. "I'll kill you!"

Trunks flew at Frieza and began pummeling him with an intense flurry of punches. For a second, it looked as if Trunks was actually winning. But Frieza knew better. He leaped up and kicked Trunks in the mouth, causing him to crash into the ground again. Trunks lay sprawled out on the ground for a second, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He began to stand up, but Frieza was upon him immediately. He lifted Trunks up by his shirt collar and smiled.

"Your mother really was a brave one," Frieza said. "She only screamed twenty-seven times."

"SHUT UP!" Trunks shouted. He tried to punch Frieza again, but Frieza used his other hand to grab Trunks' hand, stopping the punch in mid-air.

"Don't worry, Trunks, you'll suffer a hundred times more than your mother did," Frieza said. "I'll make it nice and slow, I promise."

"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"

Coming seemingly out of nowhere, a dense fog engulfed Trunks and Frieza, making it impossible for either of them to see. Sailor Mercury ran over to Trunks and surrounded both her and Trunks with a dense, watery mist, preventing Frieza from sensing Trunks' ki.

"Trunks," Mercury whispered, "We have to go back home, now!"

"Ami, you were supposed to stay with mom!" Trunks whispered angrily. "You-"

"Before the fog disappears! Let's go!" Mercury whispered again.

"But I have to kill Frieza now..." Trunks said.

"Damn it, Trunks, just do as I say!" Mercury whispered again, beginning to get frustrated. "Saiyans get stronger after they recover from injury, right? Take the last Senzu Bean and you'll get stronger! Then you can come back and beat Frieza!"

Reluctantly, Trunks grabbed Sailor Mercury and flew back to his house. The fog finally disappeared. When Frieza looked up, neither Trunks nor Ami was anywhere to be found.

"NO!" Frieza shouted in rage. "He's gone! And I can't sense him! All because of that interfering wench of his! She'll pay! She was supposed to be the next to suffer my wrath anyway... she's history!"

---

Back at the Briefs' house, Trunks and Ami had gone down to Bulma's basement.

"She finished it," the now detransformed Ami said, looking at the box-like device sitting on the workbench. "I... can go home..."

"And here's a note... from Mom," Trunks said, holding up the small piece of paper. "She knew... she knew Frieza was coming..."

---

Dear Trunks and Ami,

My machine to send Ami home is finished. I recommend that you use it immediately. You see... Frieza is still alive... somehow he survived, and he's about to... about to come here. To me. Trunks, I love you dearly, my son... please take care of Ami, and use the device to send her home. I don't want her to suffer Frieza's wrath like I am about to... Trunks, I love you... tell Ami that she is an extremely kind, smart, and beautiful girl, and that I enjoyed living and working with her for the past two weeks. Goodbye...

---

"Mom..." Trunks said, beginning to cry again. "Ami, you have to go..."

"Trunks, no, I'm not going," Ami said. "I'm not leaving you here to face Frieza alone. I'm not leaving knowing that you could die!"

"But, Ami..."

"I refuse to leave until Frieza is defeated!" Ami shouted. "This isn't negotiable, not at all!"

Trunks looked into Ami's eyes.

"Ami, I should probably press that button and push you into the gate, or rift, or whatever it creates when I press it," Trunks said. "I'm not sure that I'm strong enough to protect you..."

Ami held up the final Senzu Bean, which was also lying on the workbench. She handed it to Trunks.

"I'm going to save it," Trunks said, putting it into his pocket. "I'll save it for when I'm close to death. All I have now are a few bruises, that's all. The Senzu Bean is no help unless I'm dying."

"Alright," Ami said.

"Now let's go check on mom again," Trunks said. Ami nodded. The two walked out of the basement and back up to Bulma's bedroom.

---

"Mom, it's going to be alright," Trunks said, stroking Bulma's limp right hand. "Ami..."

"What is it, Trunks?" Ami asked. Trunks kissed her gently on the lips, then pulled back and took Ami's hands in his.

"Ami, I love you," Trunks said, "and I trust you here with mom. I can sense Frieza's energy nearby, and I'm going to go fight him now."

"I don't want you to leave!" Ami said.

"If you come with me, Frieza could use you against me," Trunks said. "Stay here with mom. That way, when I'm fighting Frieza, I can keep him away from you at the same time."

"Alright," Ami said. "Trunks, please come back alive..."

"I promise I'll come back alive, Ami," Trunks said. "Stay here, okay?"

Ami nodded. Trunks kissed Ami again. Then, he walked out of the room and flew out of the house, toward where he had felt the energy signal.

"These clothes are a bit uncomfortable," Ami said, noticing that she was still in the orange t-shirt and blue jeans from earlier. "And they're stained in blood..."

Ami took the white nightgown that she had put away in the closet that morning.

"I'll just go into the bathroom to change," Ami said to herself. She walked into the bathroom and took off the blood-stained clothes, then put on the white nightgown. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. "I wonder how Bulma looked in this when she was my age... if she had it when she was my age..."

Ami shook her head.

"I have to go back to check on Bulma," Ami said. "I have to stay with her. Trunks trusts me."

Ami began to walk out of the bathroom. As soon as she had stepped outside, a cold, black hand clamped around her mouth. Ami tried to scream, but then a second hand went over her mouth, completely silencing her. A long, black tail wrapped around her arms, pinning them to her sides. Two legs wrapped around her own, keeping her from kicking the wall to make any noise. She began to be lifted up into the air.

"I left a fake energy signature for Trunks," Frieza said. "Giving me just enough time to come in here and take you for myself."

Ami trembled fearfully, beads of sweat beginning to run down her face. She took in small, fearful breaths through her nose, because it was impossible to breathe through her mouth with Frieza's hand over it.

"It's time for you to sleep, my dear," Frieza said, taking one of his hands and pinching Ami's nose shut with it. Ami tried to struggle, but she couldn't move at all. She furiously tried to take a breath, but her airway had been completely cut off. After about three minutes, Ami's body fell limp. She had passed out. Frieza smiled, dropped a small note on the ground, and flew up through the ceiling, holding the unconscious Ami in his arms.

---

"What's going on?" Trunks shouted, running into the house. "Frieza just flew out of here! I saw him! AMI! AMI!"

Trunks ran upstairs into his mother's room. Ami was nowhere to be seen. Bulma was still lying on the bed, unconscious. Trunks flew over to the bathroom. There, he saw Frieza's note. He picked it up.

---

Dear stupid Saiyan monkey...

I have your interfering wench of a girlfriend. I understand how badly you want to fight me. That's fine, since I have to fight you to kill you, right? But I'm picking the battleground. Come to the small church outside of the town I just destroyed. Apparently, it survived the blast I used to destroy the rest of the town, so it will probably be sturdy enough to contain our battle, for a while. You'll understand the other reason why I picked it when you arrive. Ami is still alive, but rest assured, she'll die no matter what you do. If you want one last chance to see her, however, you'll come to the church and accept your fate: to be defeated by me, once and for all. After I defeat you, I'll destroy this entire pathetic planet!

Signed... Frieza

P.S.: I still haven't decided whether I'll kill Ami right away, or wait until you're dead. Guess you'll have to come to find out.

---

Trunks dropped the note and growled in rage.

"Frieza... how dare you! How DARE you abduct the girl that I love!" Trunks shouted. "Mom... you'll have to hold on... I know you'll make it, mother... and I'll bring back Ami! I promise!"

Trunks flew up out of the hole that Frieza had made, then zoomed toward the church.

---

The stage is set. The final battle is ready! The box is locked, the lights are on, it's... oh wait, wrong show. Anyway, two more chapters remain! BTW, Gabby, the moment that I said you'd love... it hasn't come yet! It'll come either in the next chapter or the last chapter! Also, both chapters, especially the next one, will be extremely violent. Just a warning! Anyway... please review, everyone!