Chapter 35

Gohan didn't know which was worse—his anxiety or his giddiness. He was equal parts terror and elation and kept flipping between the two so quickly he was beginning to give himself a migraine. 'This is what a pregnant woman on crack must feel like.' Just then, he broke out in a cold sweat before stifling the urge to skip joyously down the uneven sidewalk. The weather seemed to match his mood—or moods—perfectly. The day was overcast but had brilliant rays of sunlight stubbornly streaking through to dispel the gloom only to be swallowed again by the thick cloud-cover. It was one of those annoying autumn days when it couldn't decide if it wanted to be chilly to remind everyone that winter was coming or to be warm to taunt everyone with summer months passed. Either way everyone would be either miserably overdressed and carrying their extra jackets or miserably underdressed and gritting their teeth against the piercing gusts of icy wind. Regardless, the fickle weather held little influence over the half Saiyajin.

Instead, his entire focus lay with his destination, the shabby brick building down the street. It was nondescript and desperately needed a face-lift along with many of the other buildings in the neighborhood. The molding was old and crumbling, the windows were warped and the front stairs had determined little weeds shooting up through the mortar. The building itself was insignificant except for one small fact—it was where Videl held her kickboxing class every Monday, Thursday, and every other Saturday. She would be wrapping up her class soon and he wanted to surprise her and then take her out to dinner.

'One hell of a surprise.' He gulped and prayed with all of his might that it would be a happy one. There was no magic calming pill or meditative breathing exercise that could settle his facilitating emotions. Only the word of one woman would decide him. 'Please let it be 'yes'.'

Gohan eyed his trembling hands in disbelief when he reached for the front door. He was a warrior, a fighter, someone who knew what fear was and walked through hellfire to conquer it; and yet, all of that mattered little at the moment. This was the greatest challenge of his life, and he was walking towards it with not one iota of confidence that he would emerge triumphant. This had the potential to break him. He knew that no matter what happened, when he emerged from this building again he would be forever changed. 'Will it be a good change or a bad one?'

There was only one way to find out. Gohan threw open the door and stepped into the darken entryway.

The sound of hard aggressive music led him down the hallway and caused the floor to thump rhythmically beneath his boots. He never could understand why she needed the torture her ears to achieve her optimal mindset for working up a sweat. Piccolo, his teacher and sensei since youth, taught him that the only way to gain true concentration and clarity was through inner silence and the sounds of nature. 'Don't focus on your differences. Not now!' he mentally chastised himself.

The blaring music was quickly silenced and replaced by the annoyed voice of one woman. "I don't know what has gotten into you lot. You're like a bunch of seizing foals, unsteady on your feet, with your limbs flailing. This is your last chance to get it right before I dismiss for the day. Now, concentrate."

For a few minutes all Gohan heard was the ear-splitting music and Videl's no-nonsense voice calling out each move like a drill sergeant. The few feminine grunts were her only response as she put her students through their paces.

Blessedly, the music came to a screeching halt a few short minutes later. "Congratulations, ladies. You've graduated to pony status."

This caused some giggling that was quickly hushed.

She hummed with annoyance and turned away to strip the new gloves from her dainty hands. The wall of mirrors she was facing didn't hide her reluctantly amused expression.

Gohan leaned against the doorjamb and smiled at the tittering women who were shooting him looks and trying to stifle their smiles. This was it. He nodded carefully to the watching women and stepped into the musty workout room. Instantly he broke out into a nervous sweat. Perhaps it was caused by the very vivid memory of the last time he dared cross the threshold to get back into his girlfriend's good graces and ended up bruised and bloody for all of his efforts. He doubted it though. Being beaten into a pulp was something that had happened to him over and over throughout the course of his life—he still carried bruises and aches from his spar with Trunks a few days prior. This, however, was uncharted territory. He had never had his life hinge on the answer to a single question. 'Please say yes.'

She either heard his approach or inferred it from the sudden silence. "I'm just finishing up here. I'll be with you in a second, babe."

Gohan took a deep breath and slowly sank to one knee on the thick blue mat. "Actually, I was hoping you would be with me a little longer than that." She turned around in confusion and blinked down at him. "Like forever."

She sucked in a shocked breath and held it as he slowly reached into his pocket and presented her with the perfect ring.

"Videl Satan, will you marry me?"

The shuffling of the students drew her attention to the carefully hand-printed signs they were holding proudly over their heads, right above their shit-eating grins. Put. Me. Out. Of. My. Misery.

She strangled on a laugh.

"Come on!" One of her more outspoken students called out, impatient with the silence. "He's asking you while you're all sweaty and gross—it must be true love."

"Never, Gohan." Videl waited until she saw the doubt creep up into his eyes before she smiled. "I'll never put you out of your misery because you're going to be miserably in love with me every day of our marriage until—"

His bone-crushing hug cut her off and barely allowed her time to choke out a watery laugh in response to the resounding cheers from her students. Tears were streaming unchecked down her cheeks and for once she didn't care about her tough girl image.

With his arm braced against the glass, Diamond stood at his office window and stared out at the city, his empire. His work lay neglected on the desk at his back, his computer blinked quietly signaling unread messages, but his phone remained silent. No one dared to call and disturb his solitude, none except for the secretary out front, and even she only bothered him with appointments and emergencies. If she dared to do otherwise, then she would disappear into the night, just like her predecessors. When one was a man of power, one could afford such things as peace and privacy. One could mold the world to meet every want and desire. His inner sanctum, with its soundproof walls and plush carpet, remained untouched by the outside world except for the floor-to-ceiling bullet-proofed windows which provided a commanding view that stretched from the streets at the front entrance to the top most high-rises and further beyond to the cloud-tipped horizon.

A quick flash of gold drew his attention back to the street far below. He squinted, but could only make out the agitated gestures of some blond who was currently arguing with the entrance guard. Intrigued, he moved to his computer and, with a few quick keystrokes, called up the streaming footage of the security camera.

He sucked in a sharp breath and stared. It was her, the girl who had been annoyingly on his mind ever since he saw her photo. Reluctantly he admitted that she was even more captivating now that he could see her in her entirety. Her carriage, body language, her presence seemed all too familiar somehow. It was like an itch on his conscious that couldn't be scratched. There was some mystery surrounding her that he hadn't even begun to solve. This distraction she created was, frankly, starting to irritate him.

Enough. 'It's time to end this.'

His secretary quickly patched him through to the head of security. "What's the situation out front?" Diamond leaned back in his chair and couldn't tear his gaze from the screen. She was just too animated to ignore.

The chief security officer's baritone voice broke the silence of the room. "Some girl is trying to get in to see a person who fits Xand's description. We tried to tell her he wasn't here, but she called us liars and now refuses to leave. Don't worry, sir, she'll be taken care of shortly."

Diamond quickly came to a decision. "Let her through and direct her to me."

"Yes, sir," the baritone voice didn't hesitate.

A moment later, the guard received his orders and allowed her to enter. With a flick of his wrist, Diamond switched to another camera and watched her progress as she passed through security and made her way across the lobby. He was moments away from meeting her. His jaw clenched in fury when he caught himself glancing around his office making sure that no object was out of place. Who was this girl that she could affect him so? Resolutely he returned his gaze to the footage and refused to acknowledge that his heart was pounding with excitement.

'Wait.' Instead of continuing to the elevator as she was being directed, she stubbornly stopped at the front desk. What followed was a heated exchange with the secretary, accompanied by gesticulating hands and a stiffening of her spine. For the first time, he cursed not having an audio link in addition to the visual. Diamond watched her deftly drop a message cube on the desk, turn on her heel, and march back out into the street. He deflated back into his chair and finally allowed himself to blink.

After regaining his composure, he buzzed security again. "Chief Alabast, confiscate whatever was just left at the front desk and bring it directly to my office."

"Sir."

She had been here, just a few floors away, within his domain. Something disturbing stirred in his blood. 'She's just a girl, barely a woman really.' And still he was…distracted. Diamond refused to put any stronger label on his feelings.

A few minutes later, his secretary knocked briefly and deposited the device on his desk. She bowed low. "Will that be all, sir?"

Diamond waved his hand in dismissal without taking his eyes from the small mystery. "Hold all of my calls."

"Of course." She backed away and a short moment passed before the door closed with a soft snick.

Diamond poured himself a glass of wine and sipped. The rich liquid sat tastelessly on his tongue. 'Now I'm just being ridiculous.' His dithering was only amplifying the suspense, so with a conscious effort to cease all thought, he activated the message and watched the screen come alive with her face. She was staring at the camera with a half defiant, half hesitant expression. Everything inside him tightened. She was so expressive and…"Beautiful," he finished his thought aloud. Subconsciously, he rolled his lips inward and hummed in the back of his throat. Despite her youth, her face—her eyes in particular—were truly remarkable.

Too bad he couldn't understand a word that she was saying. While the growling lilt couldn't necessarily be described as melodious, her voice had a hypnotic quality. It wasn't yet the voice of a woman, but it was captivating nonetheless.

After he watched it a few times, he finally talked himself into sharing the message and its contents with its intended recipient. His need to discover what she found important enough to hand-deliver finally overpowered his possessive streak. His eyes were half-mast as he carefully studied her frozen face. This wouldn't stop him from making a personal copy.

He buzzed the secretary as he poured himself a second glass of wine. "Have General Xand report to my office and make sure the Zeta team is standing by."

"Sir."

A few minutes later, the lavender-haired teen strode across his plush carpet and stood to attention in front of his desk. His black moon insignia—a medallion made of his namesake, Alexandrite—swayed gently before settling around his neck.

"You wanted to see me?" Trunks was careful to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He knew that his boss would likely be recalling his insolence from their last meeting.

Diamond swirled his wine and studied the teen. "It seems your angel has paid you a visit."

Trunks raised an eyebrow but kept silent.

Diamond waved a hand to indicate the innocuous message cube. "A message was left for you at the front desk. Go ahead," he sipped his wine casually.

Trunks couldn't sense a trap even though this bizarre conversation had all of the makings of one. He quickly activated the message cube and made sure to keep his expression flat as Usagi's face appeared. 'How had this made it to Diamond's office?' Any communication of a personal nature would have been shared with him, not passed on to a superior, and certainly not passed all the way to the top. Was he being watched? This line of thinking came to an abrupt halt when he finally registered what she was saying.

"…Gohan's finally asked her. They're having an informal get-together later today to celebrate." She paused here as the defiance slowly leaked from her tone. "Gohan said that you helped convince him, so…" she hesitated. "You're invited." She stared directly into the camera as if issuing a dare. "I'll see you there." From the corner of the screen, he watched her hand jerk and the cube grew dark as the message ended.

Diamond studied his young general's face throughout the recitation and quickly hid his frustration when he gleaned no hint to its contents. "Nothing serious, I hope?"

Trunks stared back at him with blank eyes. "No, nothing serious. Was that all?"

Diamond's jaw ticked once, before he smiled politely through gritted teeth. "Certainly not. You're a general now, Xand, but you have no one to lead."

Trunks looked surprised. "I thought I was to lead the trainees."

Diamond scoffed at this, "Hardly. That's why they're still trainees. They haven't shown enough potential to be promoted or led by someone with your skills." He buzzed and a side door was immediately opened to emit a dozen and a half soldiers who neatly lined up and came to attention, their eyes fixed stoically on the far wall. Soldiers they were. Some were broad brutes clearly meant for intimidation and enforcement, while others had the plain features and clever eyes of undercover agents. All had the grim faces of seasoned soldiers.

"Starting today, the Zeta team will report –"

"And one other."

Diamond didn't care for the interruption. "What other?" he snapped.

Trunks kept his eyes trained on his new comrades and noticed a few of them sneaking glances his way. Apparently his insolence caught their interest. It wasn't every day that someone dared to speak so cavalierly to the leader of one of the most violent organizations in the world.

"Alan, a trainee who I'm promoting. I think he'll fit in nicely." Trunks smirked.

"This place is wicked! I can't believe you never told me about it," Usagi gushed at Videl as they waited for the guys to arrive. They had to shout over the thumping music, clanking glasses, and neighboring tables' conversations to be heard. The place was packed. It was so packed in fact that Usagi couldn't even get a sense of the layout. All she could see were people sardined in front of more people and the intricate design on the ceiling.

Videl smiled back appreciatively, still a little dreamy from her newly-engaged status. "Gohan and I used to come here a lot when we started college. This was our place." She hugged herself and sighed contentedly. "I still can't believe this is real. It's happening. Finally." Her last word was lost as the swarming students two tables down let out a deafening cheer. 'Must be finals week.'

Usagi smiled and took a sip of her water but kept an eye glued in the nebulous direction of the entrance. Would he come? She was worried since everything was thrown together so last minute.

"Did you tell him?"

Usagi flushed at her transparency. She shifted nervously on her stool and stabbed her straw into the ice of her drink. "I left a message for him at his work." And what an experience that had been. The place had been teeming with muscle men lugging around assault rifles the size of aircars who all had permanent scowls etched in their faces. They looked like their entire lives revolved around physical fitness and scaring people. 'I bet Trunks fit right in.'

"My sistas!"

They looked up into Goten's grinning face and outstretched arms. "I just realized that I'm going to have two sisters to torment now."

Usagi rolled her eyes and yanked him down into a seat. "Sit down you goof." Then she saw his outfit. "What are you wearing?"

Goten preened and lovingly brushed his mud-brown jacket. "You like it? It's not every day you welcome a new member to the family, and I wanted to -" He turned, "Aw, come on bro, innocent eyes over here! I don't want to see any of that." He wadded up a napkin and threw it at his older brother, who had smoothly slid into the stool across the table and promptly started kissing his fiancé. The napkin didn't even register to the oblivious couple. The world wasn't even registering.

Usagi sighed happily and averted her gaze to her straw.

"Eh," Goten pointedly turned away and desperately searched for a new topic. "This was so last minute Dad couldn't slip away."

"Yeah, Bulma neither. She's stuck in meetings for most of the afternoon and has an event later tonight. Vegeta er..." she floundered, "didn't care to come."

Goten snorted. "Yeah, I bet." He chewed on his lip and ventured cautiously. "…Trunks?"

Usagi lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

Almost immediately they both tensed and glanced toward the door having sensed the familiar ki signature thrumming with enough suppressed power to drown out the lesser kis separating them. A moment later, the mob of boisterous people reluctantly revealed the topic of their conversation.

"Speak of the devil."

Usagi stole glances at him from beneath her lashes as she tried to appear engrossed with her straw's lazy attempt at murdering the ice in her glass. She was still too mad at him to start a direct conversation, but she couldn't help feeling relieved by his presence. Maybe this would work after all. Trunks didn't take a seat. Instead he walked passed her, making sure to pass close enough that their sleeves brushed, and took up a leaning stance along the back wall. There was no nod or grunt of greeting, just the silence of unspoken words between the three of them.

The awkwardness – or maybe it was the need for air – finally pulled the now-flushed couple back to reality. Gohan cleared his throat and blushed furiously. "Ah, thanks for coming. We just," he glanced at Videl, "couldn't keep the news to ourselves."

Videl threaded their fingers together and squeezed. "We'll have a more formal engagement party later but, well, we wanted to let the family know first."

By the lengthening lingering glances they were exchanging, Usagi knew that the window of reality was quickly closing. Pretty soon they would be back in their own couple world, and all attempts at communication would fail. "That's great! We're really happy for you."

Goten piped up. "Yeah, bro. 'Bout time."

Usagi glanced over her shoulder and spotted Trunks' self-satisfied smirk. He was probably patting himself on the back for finally convincing Gohan to man up. 'I'm never going to hear the end of it.'

Social obligations having thus been dispensed, the happy couple promptly turned away and started a conversation that was part giggling and part mumbled planning of the future wedding with a liberal amount of kissing to fill the silences.

"This is so disturbing to watch, that it's going to drive me to drink," Goten mumbled to himself. "Do you think the bartender would have pity on me and sneak me a shot or something?" He lasted two more seconds. "To hell with it. I'm going to try." Then he slid off his stool and made his way toward the bar.

Usagi giggled and watched him disappear into the crowd.

Her amusement faded as she began to feel the weighted stare at her back. The silence was laden with expectancy, but she refused to be the first one to break it. "Usa," Trunks pushed away from the wall. "We need to talk." He tilted his head, indicating an empty side room that was sectioned off and prepped for a large group that had yet to arrive.

She took a deep breath and slid off of her stool. 'Now or never.'

As soon as they turned the corner, the noise level dropped to bearable allowing her to hear the high-pitched ringing in her ears. The reprieve didn't last long.

"Don't come by the office again."

Usagi blinked in shock. "Excuse me?"

"I don't want you hanging around there. It's not safe."

It took a moment for her sluggish brain to comprehend. Where was her apology for his recent asshole behavior? She was expecting at least a reluctant 'I'm sorry'—not more orders.

"I can't believe you."

Trunks scowled down at her. "What? If you wanted to talk to me so badly, then you should have answered your damn phone when I called you!"

She snapped. "That's it! I am so sick of this. I'm sick and tired of being upset with you all of the time. I go from ecstatic to furious and back again so much that I'm starting to stress every time I'm around you, wondering if you're going to be the prince or the jerk today. You treat people I care about like dirt and then expect me to just forgive you without a second thought. I can't take it anymore!"

Trunks tunneled his fingers roughly through his hair, her agitation fueling his own. "I've tried to be patient and wait you out, but you're just being stubborn about this. I've already apologized for scaring you. What more do you want?"

"You have to really mean it Trunks."

"I do mean it, damn it!"

Usagi straightened, abruptly alert. "Prove it." He stilled. "Apologize to me in front of everyone here."

His mouth dropped. "W-What?"

The small cornel of satisfaction that appeared as the trap was closed and the ultimatum delivered didn't assuage her righteous anger. "You've sent me gifts and given me the most half-hearted grumbled apology—over the phone, I might add—but it's not enough. If you truly want to make this right between us, then you'll apologize to me in front of the family that you've wronged. I'm serious Trunks."

"You can't expect me, a prince, to humble myself in front of these-these," he waved a hand to encompass the crowd of inebriated college students and couldn't find adequate words to finish his sentence.

Usagi crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? You're the prince now? To me you're still the jerk and I see no problem with jerks making amends even in front of," she flung out a hand and finished sarcastically, "'these-these'."

Trunks clinched his teeth tight enough that his jawline ticked. "You don't understand, Usa. With my job, I have to maintain a certain reputation—"

"Of course! Your reputation," Usagi's face burned red with hurt and anger. "Because what 'these-these'," she sneered, "complete strangers think of you is more important that my feelings. I completely understand," she spat sarcastically and wiped away a few stray angry tears. "Well, I hope you understand that Gohan has already said I could stay with him until he and Videl get married. Considering how many years it took him to propose, it'll be decades before they actually tie the knot. Enjoy your reputation."

She pushed him aside and got about two furious strides away before her grand exit was ruined by a steel arm wrapped snugly around her waist.

"Let go!" She thrashed wildly even while he yanked her back and flung her against the wall. She surged forward, but he pressed her back crowding her against the brick. With a few firm grasps, he subdued her pitiful resistance with an ease that only fueled her fury.

The blood pumping in her ears drowned out whatever he was saying. "Let me go! Let go!" She squirmed and clawed to get free.

"Look at me!" he barked.

His harsh command in the language of their people broke through her fury and seized her mind. She jerked back gasping as her eyes—bright with fury and framed by lashes spiked with tears—rose to clash with his burning blue glare. She was breathing hard and trembling, but she couldn't look away. The command had her trapped as securely as the hands gripping her slender wrists.

Trunks' eyes flicked back and forth between hers for a long intense moment. They slowly drifted down, studying every feature of her face, carefully weighing—what she didn't know. When his gaze once again found hers long moments later, they had softened slightly with what she thought was part yearning and part awe. She couldn't reconcile the incongruous look with this situation. Weren't they furious with each other?

"You're beautiful, you know that?" his soft voice cut through her anger as swiftly as his earlier command cut through the pounding of her ears.

She blinked and gaped back at him stupidly.

Trunks shook his head and smirked wryly. 'It won't be too bad,' he thought. Half of everyone here were too drunk to remember him, and Gohan and Videl were too engrossed in each other to pay attention. Alan's advice came to mind, 'Go make a fool of yourself over her; girls like that kind of thing.' He couldn't think of anything more foolish than this.

"You really want me to do this? This will make things right between us?"

Usagi closed her mouth and cautiously nodded, even more uncertain now that her anger was spent and she remained unscathed by his usual flash of temper. In a million years she never would have expected him to be this calm and reasonable.

"Just to clarify," Trunks gently stroked his thumb back and forth across her captured wrist. "You'll come home? You'll forgive me? Everything will be easy between us again?" His eyes dropped to her lips and flicked back up.

Usagi felt breathless. She blamed it on the blooming sense of hope and not on that one heated look. Was he really going to do this? Her nod was barely detectable.

"Alright then," Trunks released her and stepped away.

Trembling with the aftereffects of the adrenaline, Usagi could only watch him turn and stride confidently toward the other room. "There's a stage," she called out to his back. "This place is a karaoke bar during weeknights."

He glanced over his shoulder. "A stage, Usa? Really?" He scowled, seeing the trap for the first time. "And I'm supposed to believe that Videl and Gohan just happened to choose a karaoke bar for their impromptu engagement party."

Usagi's grin was still shaky from their argument and hardly the cocky smirk that she had envisioned.

He shook his head. "Jeez, I can't believe I'm about to do this," was the last thing she heard before he disappeared into the crowd.

She was still so shaken by the encounter that she didn't trust her knees to support her, so she lay limply propped against the wall and waited for her heart to settle. Part of her couldn't believe everything that had happened in the past hour. Had she really stood up to Trunks and gotten away with it? It took her a few minutes to gather her wits and make her way back to the table. By the time she returned to her seat, Goten was waiting, cradling an innocuous glass filled with clear liquid—water? Vodka?

"Did he –"

There was a deep thumping of a microphone which had the momentary effect of quieting the masses.

Videl immediately broke away from Gohan's kiss, leaving her fiancé gaping at the back of her head. "No way! He's going to do it."

They turned to stare at the lone figure that was wreathed in a spotlight raised above the mass of people. Whispers and heckling started, but Trunks just peered down his nose at them imperiously. He cleared his throat, milked the suspense, and began.

Videl blinked. "What the hell?"

Usagi's mouth dropped and then she started giggling helplessly. Her trap was sprung and she was getting exactly what she wanted—a heartfelt public apology. It was only that she, Videl, and Molly forgot one thing during their planning session. Trunks was also clever. While his words were sincere and were spoken in a strong voice that easily carried over the side conversations, the whispers, and the heckling, the entirety of his eloquent speech was delivered in the Saiyajin language and thus unintelligible to everyone but her. In one fell swoop, he quelled her anger and spared his pride.

Videl groaned in disgust. "This doesn't count! He tricked us."

Usagi just smiled.

Goten nudged her. "What did he say?"

She shook her head and watched Trunks jump off the stage and make his way towards them. "I'll tell you later. It was good though," she assured him. "Really, really good."

Trunks was suddenly before her, bracing his hands on the table. "Satisfied?"

She nodded with a grin.

"I'm forgiven then?"

She nodded again, her eyes twinkling.

"Prove it."

It was her turn to blink. That was the same dare she issued to him minutes before. Now the tables had turned. "W-What? How am I supposed to do that?"

He flashed a rakish smile, leaned in, and kissed her.

She was more startled than anything and didn't have a chance to respond before he pulled back to carefully study her face.

"Alright?"

Then she knew that he was looking for any lingering trauma from their first bloody kiss in the warehouse. Luckily blood and gore were the last things on her mind. She blushed and nodded.

He smirked down at her pink face. "Good." He kissed her again, but this time he savored the taste and feel of her. Her mouth was soft and warm and opened willingly to him. She made a small sound and then he felt her fingers softly trace his jaw and slide down the side of his neck. Her responsiveness went to his head and caused his tightly-controlled energy to strain at the bit filling him with a myriad of primal emotions. He was possessive and victorious and wanted to howl his triumph to the moon and spirit her away. The kiss was better than he imagined, and he had done little else this past week.

They broke away panting and Usagi stared up at him in surprised pleasure. He slowly raised his hand to smooth back her hair but froze when reality intruded and they noticed the rest of the table.

Videl was whistling lewdly. "Way to go, Trunks!"

Goten was banging his head repeatedly against the table and moaning, "My eyes…"

Gohan just looked conflicted and embarrassed.

Trunks shook his head at their antics, hauled Usagi up and neatly maneuvered himself in her seat with her cuddled on his lap. It had been too long since he had held her in his arms. As soon as he had her settled, she hid her burning face in his neck and clutched his shirt. He rubbed her back soothingly. "Come on, don't be like that. We'll go slowly with this, I promise." It would probably kill him, but he didn't want to drive her away. 'As least more than I already have.'

"I'm scared," she confessed in a whisper.

He tensed, all at once alert and searching the surrounding faces trying to pinpoint the danger.

"If," she swallowed and started again. "If this doesn't work out between us, I don't want to lose you as a friend. I can't lose you." Her grip on his shirt tightened. "It might be better if we didn't even start this."

Trunks relaxed back in his chair and tightened his grip around her. "This will work between us. It will, Usa. I won't let us fail."

The supreme confidence in his voice was a balm to her frayed emotional state. Failure wasn't in his genetic makeup. 'What if we don't fail?' The thought kept rattling through her thoughts, quieting her uneasiness. Slowly, she relaxed and let her head rest easy on his shoulder. "Okay," she breathed.

Trunks closed his eyes. 'Thank Kami. Finally.'

"Okay," he agreed. They were now officially dating. He tucked a strand of her blond hair carefully around the shell of her ear and thought of her pink backpack. "Did you bring your stuff?"

"I, uh, didn't think you would go through with it, so…" she trailed off.

His grip flexed in silent reprimand. "We'll collect it sometime tomorrow."

She traced a seam on his shirt and smiled in memory. "That was one hell of speech. I don't think I've ever heard so many insults neatly imbedded in an apology. It was epic."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "It's not like the stupid humans could understand anyway. I meant the part about Goten and Gohan though."

She hugged him. "I know." Gohan was currently relaxing and chatting with Goten and Videl. He looked…happy. Really happy. "I don't know what you said to Gohan, but it definitely worked," she pulled away from him. "So that means you're pretty much amazing."

His grin was the same arrogant one she loved. "Yeah?"

She covered his grinning mouth with her own. "Yeah."

"Agent Crown, report," a man barked the command as flicked the ash of his cigar into a tray on the corner of his desk. With a few quick keystrokes, he called up all known reports on the criminal syndicate known as the Black Moon Clan.

A deep voice immediately answered through the phone. "I've been recently reassigned. My new C.O. is young and new to the Clan. I don't yet know if he will be an asset or a hindrance to the investigation."

The cigar jerked in the man's hand. "Stay on it Crown. If we can get one of the Precious to turn insider…" he blew out a gust of smoke. "This could be just the break we need to blow this thing wide open. I can't wait to lock every last one of those bastards away."

AN: Yes, I do exist. Thanks for the recent flurry of reviews. They inspired me. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me through the years. I almost deleted Gohan's proposal scene but kept it in as a bonus. Please review and let me know what you think!