Disclaimer: You thought I forgot to do this, now didn't you? The characters of Dragonball Z and El Hazard belong to their creators and I am only using them to tell a story. So there!

: Thoughts

"We're here at Shinnanome High School, the site of one of the most remarkable discoveries of this century! With us today is the student body president, Katsuhiko Jinnai, who claims to have been the one responsible for finding of these ancient ruins." The reporter proclaimed as she spoke into the microphone while facing her cameraman. Beside her was a teenage boy in a school uniform that was immaculately groomed. He took out a comb and bushed up his bangs before flashing a smile to the camera.

"Yes, I, a humble student at this school had made this incredible discovery, and so I would think that it would only be fitting that this place be named the Katsuhiko Jinnai Ruins, in honor of the one who found them, namely me of course." Jinnai smirked as he tried to grab as much of the glory as he could, despite the fact that he had nothing to do with the discovery whatsoever. In truth, the discovery had been made accidentally by some construction workers after they had started tearing down an old section of the school.

At that moment, another person made her way toward the area, along with her own camcorder.

"Make way! Make way!" The young girl called out as she unceremoniously pushed out in front of the news reported and shoved the front of her camera in front of Jinnai's face.

"Katsuhiko Jinnai! What are your comments to the accusations made by the student council that your election to student president was in fact, rigged and that you had paid off the various clubs to vote for you?"

Jinnai stuttered as he found himself in an embarrassing situation. His sister Nanami was making a fool out of him on live television! "N-N-Nanami! You're my little sister! What the HELL are you doing here?!"

The young girl shrugged. "Just doing my duty as a video journalist and exposing the truth to the public!"

"You're not even IN the Video Club!"

"They paid me to do it. In any case, what are you going to do about tomorrow's hearing, hmm? I hear that they have a star witness who will expose you for the lying, cheating rat that you are!"

"I'm innocent! This is all a plot to defraud my good name!" Jinnai retorted, which made his sister giggle with amusement.

"What good name?" Nanami said in a mocking tone. "The word 'good' has never been associated with you, big brother. And after Trunks gives his testimony, your reign of tyranny over the students will be over!"

"What?! Trunks is the witness?! How dare he?! I'll kill that....!" Jinnai stopped in his rant as he saw that he was still on the air. "What are you looking at?! The interview is over! Get that camera out of my face!"

The camera then showed nothing but static as Jinnai shoved the device out of the cameraman's hands.

----------

"Get moving! Nothing to see here!" Masamichi Fujisawa said as he blocked off the stairs, which led to the ruins. The students crowding around the area groaned as they began to disperse to their classes.

The history teacher nodded as he turned around to continue cornering off the entrance.

"Now where's that masking tape?" Fujisawa mumbled as he reached into his coat pocket. As he pulled out the roll of adhesive, something else also came out and made a dull clunk on the floor.

"Hey look! Mr. Fujisawa's on the sauce!" One of the students cried out as he pointed to the bottle of alcohol that had fallen from the teacher's pocket.

The teacher quickly started waving his hands frantically as he tried to explain. "No! You don't understand! It's purely medicinal! It's not like I have a problem!"

The students weren't buying it as they gave him disapproving looks and began whispering among themselves.

When the crowds finally walked off, Masamichi hung his head and half-sobbed to himself, "It's not my fault that I'm weak."

At that moment, a young man walked up to him and causally picked up the bottle. "You know sensei, it's not good for you to poison your body like that."

The teacher looked up and his mouth turned up into a small smile as he saw who was handing him back his bottle. "Trunks! How are you today?"

The youth smiled as he brushed a strand of his light purple hair from the rest of his bangs. Unlike the rest of his fellow classmates, the Saiyan half-breed was dressed in loose black pants, brown boots, a black muscle shirt and was wearing a blue jacket that bore the logo of his mother's company on the shoulder. Since his family was quite wealthy and had donated generously to the Shinnanome when Trunks enrolled, the school board had allowed Trunks to dress as he saw fit.

Of all the students that he taught, Fujisawa liked Trunks the best. The young man was quite attractive to the girls and many of his female classmates often gazed at him longingly, instead of listening to the day's lesson. His personality was likeable and he had a kind of warm spirit that made him stand out in a crowd. He had a well-built form and excelled at gym period. He had often been asked to join the sports teams and compete, but to many people's disappointment, Trunks would always turn them down. Fujisawa could not understand how such a physically talented young man would want to hide such gifts. He had seen Trunks run once during a track meet. He had been astounded, along with everyone else when he broke the school record, and possibly the world record, by running the 100-meter dash in six seconds.

Like most of the people of the world, Fujisawa was unaware of Trunks' heritage, which made competing against normal humans as mismatched as pitting a supersonic jet against the Wright Brother's plane. In fact, the son of Vegita had been holding back during that competition. Trunks had felt badly after winning that track meet. It had been just like that time at the World Martial Arts Tournament. Despite being at the tender age of eight, both he and his friend Goten were far more powerful than most of the adult human fighters combined. It had been too easy for the half-Saiyans to advance to the finals of the Junior Division.

While he was growing up, Trunks had felt as if he was living among a world of fragile, glass figurines, and he had to watch it with his otherworldly strength and powers. Over the years, he had begun to lose interest in finding tougher opponents and lessened in his training, much to the dismay of his father. He learned the sciences and Vegita began to bemoan his child for becoming weak and scholarly like Goku's son, Gohan.

His mother Bulma was more supportive and urged him to make friends and get good grades. However, that old Saiyan instinct for combat did not fade away completely and sometimes Trunks would wish for a challenge. However, with menaces like Garlic Jr, the Red Ribbon Army, Frieza, Cell and Maja Buu gone, there was nothing left for Trunks to challenge, except for the next midterm. Trunks found that he grasped the sciences and mathematics quite easily and he assumed that he got it from his mother. However, he did still train and mastered many of the techniques of the other Z fighters, including the Kamehameha Wave, Piccolo's Beam Cannon, Krillin's Destructo Disc, Tien's Solar Flare, and of course, his father's Gannet Gun.

"So what's that you got there, Trunks?" Fujisawa asked as he pointed to a long bundle that the half-Saiyan had slung over one shoulder.

Trunks was snapped out of his reverie and replied. "This? Oh, well it's just something that I've been working on in metal shop class."

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period and the start of the next one.

"Well Trunks, I guess it's time for you to get going."

"Yes sensei. I'll see you later." Trunks waved goodbye and turned to go to his next class.

"By the way, Trunks..."

The teen stopped and turned his head to his teacher. "Yes?"

"I hear that you're going to be testifying against Student President Jinnai tomorrow."

"Yeah." Trunks nodded and let off a quiet sigh. "I... didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard him and the captain of the Baseball Club talking and well..."

"Good for you son. You should always do the right thing."

"Yeah. The right thing." Nowadays, I'm not even sure what the WRONG thing is, much less the right one. "See you later sensei."

----------

"NOOOO!!! LIES! LIES! IT'S ALL LIES!!!!"

RIP! SHRED! TEAR!

Katsuhiko Jinnai continued to rant as he tore apart the posters on the wall that said 'Down with Jinnai.'

"Why is everyone against me?! What have I done to deserve such disrespect?!"

The egomaniac placed his hands against the wall and hung his head in frustration. He then looked up and saw that last week's test scores had been posted today. His spirit's rose as he saw that his name was high on the list. He had the second-highest score of the school. The name above his read... Trunks.

"ARRRGGGHHHH! Again that miserable Trunks!"

Jinnai shook with anger as he thought back to when Trunks first came to Shinnanome and the times he had encountered the half-Saiyan since then.

Flashback 1...

We see Trunks easily winning the track meet, leaving his competition in the dust as he crosses the finish line a good fifty meters ahead. Most of the others cross the finish line panting and wheezing, but the one who finished dead last was of course, Jinnai. In fact, he never even got to the finish line as he held a hand to his mouth and fell down while throwing up.

Flashback 2...

Jinnai is admiring his masterpiece as he and his fellow art students sat on a hill that overlooked Tokyo. The sketch of the landscape he had drawn looked like it had been done by a five-year-old. However, as soon as he glanced at Trunks who was sitting nearby and saw how well-detailed and accurate his sketch, the egotistical brother of Nanami went into a fit of rage and broke the sketch board.

Flashback 3...

Katsuhiko is pushing his way through the crowded cafeteria and reaches for the last sandwich on the counter. However, just as he was about to touch it, it suddenly blurs from sight and vanishes. He looks over to his right and fumes as he sees Trunks munching on it while paying the cashier. Jinnai is so enraged that he squeezes the milk carton in his hand, causing it to explode and drench his face in white liquid.

End of flashbacks...

----------

"Grrrrrrrrr, Trunks this! Trunks that! I hate you, Trunks! I am the great Katsuhiko Jinnai, yet you always get in the way of my superiority! You are nothing! You are less than nothing!" Jinnai slammed the point of a screwdriver into a photo of Trunks, winning the track meet, posted on the bulletin board. He began drilling the point even deeper into the surface, finally ripping the picture in half.

"I swear that your meddling in my affairs will come to an end! WA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

The students who were standing nearby shuddered as they heard Jinnai's maniacal laughter as it echoed throughout the hallways.

----------

Trunks sighed as he went to his locker at the end of the school day. He had been lost in thought as he continued to ponder on what to do with his life. Here he was, one of the most physically powerful individuals on the planet, and yet he felt that he was totally out of place on a now, peaceful Earth. His father, the former Prince of the Saiyans, wanted him to continue training and become a stronger warrior than the members of Goku's family, but what was the point? What good was a warrior when there were no battles to be fought? Nothing had been threatening the world since that time of the World Martial Arts Tournament and the appearance of Buu. For the last ten years, the half-Saiyan had lived without conflict or challenges for his extraordinary abilities. Oh, there were the occasional scuffles and sparring sessions with his childhood friend Goten and the other Z fighters, but even those battles had become routine.

Now, the sparring was scarce as Goten had discovered girls and spent less time with his buddy. Gohan was now married to Mr. Satan's daughter and was raising his own child, Pan. Goku wasn't around much as he spent most of his time either on Kami's Lookout or elsewhere. Piccolo was hard to find and as for Yamcha, Tien and Chouzu, they had either retired from fighting or were somewhere far away. Krillin and 18 had more or less retired and that only left Trunks' father.

Vegita was more than willing to train with Trunks, but his constant nagging about how a true Saiyan should act, plus the fact that he disapproved of his son going to an Earthling school made the tension between them even harder to endure. Technically speaking, Trunks wasn't a true Saiyan. Half of his very being came from his mother. So whenever Vegita went on about the proud Saiyan race and how his son should appreciate his heritage, Trunks found himself even more depressed and torn. He was neither truly a Saiyan nor human. He didn't feel that he belonged on Earth, nor would he have felt at home on planet Vegita. That is, if Frieza hadn't destroyed it, along with the rest of the Saiyans. So just where did that leave him? Just where could he find a place that he felt that he belonged?

The young Saiyan teen sighed again as he reached into his locker and saw that an envelope was in it. He took out the note while placing the long bundle he had slung over his shoulder on the floor. He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter. He then began to read.

Dear Trunks. Usually I'm not this forward, but I'd really like to get to know you better. Meet me behind the gym at six. Signed... Nanami?

Trunks wondered just what this was all about. He was used to getting notes from girls, but this was the first time that Jinnai's sister had really taken notice of him. He had thought that the girl was something special when they first met, but he kept their relationship strictly as good friends as he was fearful of hurting her with his Saiyan strength. There was also the fact that her brother was Kasuhiko Jinnai, a person that Trunks immediately disliked from the moment he met him. In a way, with his pompous and overbearing attitude, Jinnai reminded the Saiyan of that blowhard bully that he met during the World Martial Arts Tournament. He quickly shut that jerk up with one kick. Of course, he couldn't just deal with Jinnai the same way as he did with his opponent. Jinnai wasn't a fighter and even a light kick would probably break most of his bones. Plus the fact was that they were in school and fighting was strictly forbidden.

Trunks pondered the note for a few minutes before deciding that it wouldn't hurt to meet up with Nanami. His mother Bulma had been urging him to get more involved with the opposite sex, and he figured that this was as good way as any to forget about his own problems for a while. In any case, he did like Nanami's quick wit and enjoyed her company. For a moment, he wondered if this was how Gohan must have felt when he met Videl, then shrugged as he picked up his bundle, hefted it over his shoulder and exited the building.

----------

Mr. Fujisawa's Office...

"Wow, this looks great! Thanks Nanami!" Mr. Fujisawa said as he took the bento box and began eating the delicious meal within.

Jinnai's sister smiled as she knelt down in front of her teacher and opened up a thermos. "So you're working late nights now, sensei?"

The history teacher nodded as he continued to wolf down the food. Beside him on a table were some maps of some mountains, some climbing gear and an ashtray that was littered with cigarette butts. Behind him was a half-empty bottle of sake that he was trying to hide from Nanami.

"Here we are. Some nice hot tea to wash it all down."

Masamichi nodded his thanks to her as he took the cup and began to sip.

"That'll be one thousand and fifty-yen please."

Fujisawa sputtered and spat out the tea when he heard this and gaped at his student. "W-What?1 You mean... you're charging me?!"

Nanami shrugged and smiled. "Hey. A girl's got to make a living, right?"

----------

Trunks could only shake his head in disgust while holding the bridge of his nose, as Jinnai laughed mockingly at him. It was bad enough to find out that Nanami had not sent that letter. It was even worse that that her brother had led him into some kind of pathetic trap. Discovering that the letter was in fact one of the many notes that Nanami had written to every other boy in the school... that was adding insult to injury.

"Okay Jinnai. You've had your fun, but I don't have time for these games. So if you don't mind, (and even if you do), I'll be going now. See you at the trial tomorrow... Mr. Student President." Trunks said the last part with a taunting tone as he prepared to turn and leave.

"Oh no! I don't think you'll be able to make it to the hearing tomorrow." Jinnai sneered as he reached around his back for something.

"And why do you say that?" Trunks asked with very little interest. After all, Jinnai was only human. What could he do against him?

"Because, it is time that I settle things with you, my eternal rival!"

"Eternal rival? What the heck are you talking about?" Trunks then turned around and was a bit surprised to see Katsuhiko holding out a length of rope. "And what's that for?"

"According to the articles of the school legislature, if no witness or evidence is brought against me, then my reign as the school president will stand. Since you, my eternal rival, are the opposition's key witness, then that means that if you are not there, then there shall be no case against me! I finally have you in my power, Trunks, and you shall feel my vengeance to your meddling!"

"Meddling? Vengeance? Eternal rival? What are you, some kind of nut?"

"You are trying to usurp my position and take it for yourself, aren't you?!"

"Huh? Now what ARE you talking about?!"

"I shall not have it! If it is my destiny to battle with you, then I shall keep fighting with every ounce of my being and the final victory shall be mine!"

Oh brother! Now I know how Dad must have felt when he had to endure Mr. Satan's rants. Guess I'll have to slap some sense into this dope.

"I have you now Trunks!" Katsuhiko charged at Trunks with the rope held out.

Trunks shrugged as he reared back with one hand and sent the open palm toward his attacker.

----------

It was at that moment that there was a sudden flash of light, which caused the entire area to be lit up. Then the light faded away, leaving a light blue shade to everything and every one in the deserted school. The entire place was made into a still-life photo as every moving thing was frozen. In Fujisawa's office, both Nanami and her sensei were like statues. The tea in the thermos was stopped in midstream as it appeared that the girl was refilling Masamichi's cup.

Outside of the school, behind the gym, Trunks found himself staring in wonder at Katsuhiko. The fact that Jinnai was flying backward from the force of his casual slap wasn't surprising. The fact that he was suspended in the air some five feet above the ground and at an angle; that was surprising. Just after he struck, Trunks had been temporarily blinded by the sudden light. For a moment, he thought that Jinnai knew how to do a Solar Flare. However, just as the nut had started hurtling backward, time suddenly stopped and now Jinnai was frozen in mid-flight.

"Huh?" Trunks cautiously walked up to the motionless Jinnai and looked him over. "Hey! Jinnai! Are you okay? I didn't hit you that hard did I? And how are you doing that?" He rapped his knuckles against Jinnai's forehead. "Hey! Come on! Wake up! Are you dead? If not, then say something! Or at least blink your eyes!" He looked over to Jinnai's face and winced a bit as he saw the impact point in which he hit his face. When and if Jinnai awoke, he was going to have one hell of a swollen cheek. He then looked around and wondered why it was so silent all of a sudden. Everything seemed to be... stopped.

It was at that moment that he felt a very high power level. However, it seemed to falter and become unsteady in first few minutes after he first detected it. And then, he heard... her.

"Huh? What?" Trunks couldn't understand whose voice was suddenly echoing his head, directing him to go... somewhere. The voice was so compelling that he could nothing but respond to it.

----------

Trunks was soon going down the stairs which lead to the ruins in the school basement. The voice became louder in his head as he neared the entrance to the site. When he came upon an open area, he stopped short as he saw that the room was illuminated by beams of light being emitted from a strange circular pattern on the floor. On the other side of the room was a large, hexagonal pillar with a weird eye symbol on the top.

The young Saiyan wondered just what was going on as he cautiously stepped forward toward the pillar. When he crossed the center of the room and brushed on hand on one of the beams of light, a sound was heard and the shaft of light suddenly bent toward him and became solid, entangling itself around his wrist.

"Hey! What the...?"

Immediately, the other beams bent toward him, forming a kind of cage around him. Trunks assumed that he had walked into a trap and was about to power up, when the pillar in front of him suddenly creaked and groaned. The middle portion of the pillar suddenly split in half and parted, revealing the inside as the top raised itself. Then suddenly, just as suddenly as they bent toward him, the beams of light vanished without a trace as an eerie mist came forth from within the pillar. Trunks' eyes widened as he saw... her.

She was beautiful. She had long, pale, bluish-purple hair and eyes of aquamarine. Her skin was pale, almost like an albino's but had a smooth, creamy texture to it. Her body was well formed and lithe, but she seemed to be unsteady in her movements as she stepped off the pedestal and set her bare feet onto the cold floor. Her clothes were tattered and worn. She seemed to be wearing some kind of combination pantsuit with a black tunic that tapered down into coat tails. However, she was unconcerned of her unkempt state as her eyes focused only on the youth before her.

"At last, we meet again! How I've longed for this day! I have waited patiently for this moment! For ten thousand years, I have endured endless nights, dreaming only of you... my dearest... Trunks."

Trunks was shaken out of his stupor at the mention of his name as the strange girl staggered toward him and then embraced him tightly. Her legs were weak and she had to lean on him for support.

"I can't believe that the day has finally come! The thought of seeing you once again is what kept me going for these past ten millennia, my darling Trunks!"

Trunks swallowed hard as he found himself at a loss of what to do. He then gathered up his courage and said, "H-H-H-How do you know my name? We've never met before. Just... who are you?"

The girl looked up at him with longing in her eyes. "You mean... you've forgotten?"

Trunks could only shake his head helplessly.

The girl nodded as she managed to break the embrace and step backward. "I see... no matter. Time grows short and you must prepare to embark on your journey."

The son of Vegita jumped back and gripped the bundle in his hands. "Huh? What are you talking about? Just who are you?!"

The girl stepped back another step as she crossed her hands in front of her chest and bowed her head. "My power has grown weak with the passage of time. With the last of my strength I shall send you to El Hazard."

"El Hazard? What's that?!"

The girl smiled as tiny dots of light began trickling from her hands. "I shall always carry you in my heart. Go now, my brave Saiyan. Until the day we meet... anew."

"Huh? You know that I'm a Saiyan? Wait...!"

The girl then let loose with a brilliant flash of light which lanced out and enveloped all those within the area of Shinnanome, including Mr. Fujisawa, the Jinnai siblings and Trunks.

----------

Some time later...

Trunks awoke to find himself lying on the ground of some forest. He shook his head as he sat up and looked around. He didn't recognize the place he was in as it had some` plant life that was unfamiliar to him. He saw that his bundle was beside him and he picked it up as he rose to his feet.

He his head again as he tried to make sense of what had just occurred. Who was that girl? How did she know his name and that he was a Saiyan? And how did he end up here?

The young warrior also tried to make sense of the strange images that had appeared in his mind, just after he got blinded by that light. He saw pictures of Nanami, Mr. Fujisawa, and Jinnai flash by. However, he also glimpsed other people and creatures that resembled giant insects. Then he saw two very disturbing pictures. One was that of the strange girl and another was of himself. Or rather a female version of himself with long brown hair.

He was still trying to figure it out when he heard some rustling and turned to face whatever emerged from the forest. He was about to power up when he saw Mr. Fujisawa come out from some tall grasses.

"Sensei! Am I glad to see you!"

The mountain climber and history teacher looked up from the bento he was holding in his hand. "Hey, Trunks! You're here too?"

"Do you have any idea where we are?" Trunks asked as he relaxed.

Fujisawa shrugged as he finished off the meal. "Don't know. One minute I'm eating dinner, and the next thing I know, I find myself here." He then tossed away the bento box and looked around. "Just where in Shinnanome are we?"

"I don't know sir. But... judging by the looks of this place..." The half-Saiyan took another look at his surroundings. It looked like one of those worlds that his father had told him about when he worked for Frieza. "I'm not sure if we're in Japan or even Earth."

"Huh? Have you been talking with Hayashi of the Science Fiction Club?" Fujisawa downed his cup of tea then tossed it away. "We're probably just somewhere outside of Tokyo or something. We can just take the next road out of this forest and..."

"And which road should we take?"

The history teacher took another look around and nodded. "Good point. Well, we can always ask the next person that comes along."

As if on cue, someone did come along, or rather something. Something that had the head and flippers of a dolphin, yet its bottom half had feet, fur and a long tail. It came out from some tall reeds, waddled between the two and then bounced off into some more reeds on the other side of clearing before vanishing.

To the young Saiyan, seeing a non-Earthlike creature was not all that surprising. He had witnessed many strange sights in his lifetime and had even seen the dragon Shen Long. Trunks simply turned to his sensei and said, "Sir? You didn't ask him."

Masamichi Fujisawa was a different matter as he continued to stare at the grass where the animal had disappeared into. "You saw it too? Good. I thought I was having the DTs." His hands trembled as he took out his pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth. "Now take it easy. Everything will be all right." He used his lighter and took a puff before saying, "I know! A drink will make me feel better." He reached into his other pocket but let out a cry of anguish as he saw the empty bottle. "Oh no! Gone! No drink!" The man then went on and on about his misfortune as he tossed away the bottle. "I don't know what'll I'll do! I've got to have a drink!"

That was when they both heard the high-pitched scream of a woman from nearby and turned in the direction of the sound.

"Listen!"

"Oh shit! Someone else is out of alcohol!" Fujisawa commented.

Then suddenly, someone else broke through the foliage and ran toward them. The woman then tripped and fell in front of them, her body totally exhausted.

Both men ran up to her to aid and looked down. As soon as Mr. Fujisawa saw her, his face became beet red as he saw how scantily clad the woman was. She was dressed in an outfit that resembled a harem costume from out of the Arabian Knights. He covered his face while gesturing with one hand to Trunks.

"Don't look! You're not old enough! I know just how easily you kids get stimulated!"

Trunks looked over to one side and saw something else approaching at high speed. "Sensei! What's that?"

"I told you not to look!"

"No! I mean THAT!" The teen grabbed both sides of his teacher's head and turned it for Fujisawa to see.

The creatures were huge and disgusting as they charged toward the two and the woman. Their exoskeletons gleamed in the sunlight as their feet made loud clattering sounds. Their mandibles clicked and their antennae swayed back and forth as they advanced on their prey.

"What are they? Some kind of giant bugs?" Fujisawa said as the monsters neared them.

Trunks gritted his teeth. There was no choice now. He would have to reveal his Saiyan abilities as his sensei would be clearly no match for those things. He began powering up just as the first of the giant insects took a leap toward him.

WHAM!

The young Saiyan stared at his teacher with amazement after seeing him backhand the giant bug away as if he were swatting... well, a bug. He was so distracted by the casual show of super-strength that he let his guard down and that's when a dozen of those bugs dog piled him and his teacher. However, a moment later, Fujisawa let loose with a flurry of punches, scattering the bugs like leaves.

"Hey Mr. Fujisawa! When did you get so strong? That was cool!"

The teacher looked down at his hands then smiled as he realized that the tables were turned. "All right!" He then ran toward them, screaming out war cries and delivering crushing punches and kicks. The enemy fell all around him.

Trunks was still flabbergasted at Fujisawa's performance that he nearly got blindsided by another of the bugs. However, the bug was sent flying into the stratosphere as the teen pivoted on one foot and sent a kick to its mid-section.

Fujisawa saw the exchange and then smiled as he called out to his student. "Hey Trunks! Looks like this crazy place has given you super-strength as well!"

Trunks could only smile sheepishly as he sent another five bugs soaring into orbit. He then realized that he didn't have to hold back his strength in front of his teacher. There was no need to explain to him that he had been born with increased physical powers and such. He could just simply let his teacher assume that whatever had given him his power had also affected the half-Saiyan. Though he hated to deceive him, it was a far better solution than telling him that he was half-alien.

On that note, Trunks decided to put his metal shop project to good use and unwrapped the bundle he had been toting. The sword gleamed in the sunlight as he drew it from its scabbard. The blade was a replica of the one that the Future Trunks had left behind after the Cell Games. After having the alloys analyzed, Trunks had decided to make a blade of his own, just for the fun of it. His father had approved of his son following in the footsteps of his future self. The young warrior had spent many hours practicing with his new weapon and was quite proficient in swordplay.

The beatings that the insects were getting were bad enough, but when Trunks began using that blade of his, it became a slaughter. They were soon retreating after more of their number fell, leaving the two men and the woman in peace.

"Damn, I was just getting warmed up." Fujisawa commented as he watched the enemy depart.

Trunks nodded as he sheathed his sword, then used the strap to hang it behind his back. He was now the spitting image of the Future Trunks. At that moment, more people arrived on the scene, including a few heavily armed guards and some serving girls. They were all dressed in the same manner as that woman. As the girls went to the aid of their mistress, the bearded leader of the guards turned to her savior and knelt down in front of them.

"Great warriors. We are forever in your debt for saving the life of our princess! From what kingdom do you hail from?" He then looked at Trunks and his eyes widened. "Incredible!"

At that moment, the woman they had rescued came too and caught sight of the half-Saiyan. "Fatora! You're safe! Oh how wonderful!" She ran towards Trunks and grasped his hands in her own. "Dear Fedora! We've all been so worried! Where have you been, sister? And... what did you do to your hair?"

Trunks realized that it was a case of mistaken identity as he gently broke off from her grasp. "Whoops! Sorry about this, but I'm not your friend Fatora."

The woman then backed off as she took another look at Trunks. "You're... not?" She then saw that he was indeed not her lost sister as he was definitely male.

"No, my name is Trunks."

Fujisawa nodded as he spoke for him. "He's right. I can vouch for him. He's one of my students. Ah! Where are my manners? I'm Masamichi Fujisawa, a teacher at Shinnanome High School. We didn't mean to drop in on you like this and we've really got to be going. Would you mind telling us where we are? If not, can you direct us to the nearest subway?"

Princess Rune Venus continued to gaze at the youth whose face looked like her sister's and then nodded to the Lons, the captain of the guards. "Amazing! The resemblance is remarkable!"

"Yes! And we were just on our way to the oracle to ask on what to do on this situation! It's perfect!"

"Yes."

Lons stepped forward and bowed to Rune's rescuers. "Please, come with us, brave ones. We must reward you for your rescue of our beloved princess!"

Fujisawa held up his hands and tried to turn them down. "Well thank you, but..."

Lons shook his head. "Oh no! We insist! Please, come with us!"

As Trunks and his teacher were led away, the Saiyan half-breed wondered if anyone else had been pulled into this strange world with them.

----------

"So you're saying that this place is El Hazard?" Trunks asked as he and the others rode in a craft that resembled a boat but rode on anti-gravity fields instead of water.

"Yes. From ancient times, it has been the holy land of our people." Lons replied as he refilled Fujisawa's cup. "Ah, I see you enjoy our wine, good sir."

"Yeah, this stuff is great!" The teacher downed the cup in one go.

Trunks was lost in thought as he recalled back to when he met that strange girl. "The girl... she said something about sending me to El Hazard. This must be it."

Lons continued with his explanations as he refilled Fujisawa's cup again. "The woman you had saved from the Bugrom is Princess Rune Venus, the ruler of Roshtaria and the neighboring tribes of El Hazard."

"She's royalty? Whoa." Trunks was impressed, though technically speaking, he was royalty himself. His grandfather had been the King of the Sayains and his father had been the prince. That made him a prince as well, though the Saiyan race was all but gone now. Only his family and Goku's were all that was left of the once mighty galactic warriors. Vegita and Goku were the last of the pureblood Saiyans. Gohan, Goten, himself and his sister Bra were half-Saiyan, while Gohan's daughter Pan was one-quarter.

Trunks held up his hand as a bright light shone in front of the ship. Above them, strange bird life that resembled fish with wings flew above them.

"Do not be alarmed. We are merely coming to the end of the forest." Lons said as he gestured to the city that spread out before them. "Welcome to the capital city of Florastika, the jewel of Roshtaria!"

Both Trunks and Fujisawa gazed in awe at the gleaming city before them. It resembled a more elaborate version of the ancient cities from 1001 Arabian Knights with gleaming spires, minarets, and bustling shops, taverns and stands. They continued to observe in wonder as they were led to the Royal Palace.

----------

"I am Doctor Schtallebaugh, the Dean of Science and advisor to the Royal Family." The old man said as he greeted both Trunks and Fujisawa. Both men were now sitting cross-legged in a dining room, eating the food that their hosts had provided for them. "I must say that I am intrigued by the story that you have given to us about being from another world. I find it quite fascinating and would like to hear more about it."

"Well, I don't even know where to start" Trunks replied as he took another bite out of the fish on a stick. "Some strange girl somehow transported us to this world, and we really need to get back."

Fujisawa nodded as he took another sip of wine. "Yes. We probably have made a lot of people back home worried. So if you could please send us back, then we'd be grateful."

The Dean sighed and shook his head. "If we had the capability to send you back, then we would. However, I'm afraid that crossing dimensions is beyond us as we do not know the method in which you came to this world, nor do we have the technology or ability to send you back."

"What?! You can't send us home?!" Fujisawa exclaimed. "Listen here! Back from where we come from, a missing student and teacher makes the damn headlines!"

"Please understand that we are not refusing your request to send you home. We are eternally grateful for your saving our Princess Rune Venus, but we do not have the means to grant your wishes. And with both the Phantom Tribe and Bugrom at war with Roshtaria, we have very little time to devote to anything else but the defense of the Alliance."

"Bugrom? You mean those big bugs we fought before?" Trunks asked.

Lons nodded. "Yes. They are our most hated enemy and it is only through the unity of the tribes that we have been able to hold out against them."

Schtallebaugh nodded as he continued with his explanations. "Yes. Beyond the Holy River of God that separates El Hazard, there lies a forbidden land where no man had ever entered. That is where the Bugrom Empire is. Their ruler, Queen Diva, leads the fearsome Bugrom against the tribes of El Hazard. I shudder to think of what might happen to any person who happen to enter that place.

----------

Speaking of which...

"Ow! Why is my cheek so swollen?" Jinnai winced as he continued to wander around in the dense jungles. He then came to a clearing that had some kind of stone platform. It was at that moment that he heard some rustling sounds and turned around to see himself surrounded by Bugrom.

----------

"The Bugrom happen to be our most fearsome foe at the moment, next to the Phantom Tribe. I am very amazed to hear that the two of you were able to beat off so many." The dean remarked.

"Yeah, you were really kicking butt back there, sensei." Trunks said.

"Heh. You didn't do too badly yourself, Trunks." He then gestured to the sword that was laying beside his student. "By the way, was that your metal shop project you were talking about?"

Trunks could only shrug while smiling sheepishly. "Well, I got an A+. And it did come in handy, right?"

"Remarkable that the two of you were able to accomplish such feats of great strength." Schtallebaugh said. "Apparently, your journey across dimensions must have affected you, and your powers must have been a side effect of that journey."

"Er, right... a side effect." Trunks laughed nervously. If they only knew the truth about him.

Lons then became serious as he got up and motioned for Trunks and Fujisawa to follow him. "Please, come with me. There is something of great importance that I must show to you."

----------

"Hey Trunks. Since when did you start dressing like a drag queen?" Fujisawa asked as he and Trunks saw the portrait of the Princesses of Roshtaria.

Trunks couldn't believe the resemblance between himself and the missing Fatora. Her face was almost identical and the only real differences were, of course that Fatora was a female and that she had long brown hair, as opposed to his short, light purple hair.

"She looks like me. We could be twins."

"Yes, the resemblance is uncanny." Rune commented as she entered the room. "That is a portrait of myself and my sister; done only a few days before she disappeared."

"So where is your sister? Do have any idea?"

Rune shook her head while holding back her tears. "Not a single clue. And I'm afraid that her disappearance couldn't have happened at a more inopportune time."

"What do you mean?" Fujisawa asked.

Rune turned to Lons to continue with the explanations. The captain of the guard nodded.

"Princess Rune and her sister Fatora are not only the rulers of Roshtaria, but they are also the controllers of the most powerful weapon in El Hazard, known to all as the Eye of God."

"The Eye of God?" Trunks asked.

Lons pointed toward the open balcony and Trunks looked up to see a large spherical object high above in the night sky. At first he thought that he was looking at this world's moon, but then saw that the orb had a kind of line running across its equator and a circular design in the center, making it look like the Death Star of the Star Wars movies or... a giant eye.

At that point, Dr. Schtallebaugh took over with the explanations. "Ever since the holy war from ancient times, the Eye of God is considered the most powerful weapon in creation. Those who knew of its power would live in fear of becoming its target and it is because of this, the Bugrom and the Phantom Tribe have kept their distance from our borders, thus far. Only the female members of the Royal Family of Roshtaria are able to control its devastating power. Now, with Princess Fatora missing, I fear that our enemies may use this opportunity to attack and the alliance between Florastika and the rest of the neighboring tribes would collapse."

Rune then stepped forward to gaze out into the balcony. "It has all been foretold in the ancient prophecies. When the Eye of God blinks, the path to the sky will open up, and the Shadow Nation shall become one. Then the Golden Champion shall return to save us all."

Golden Champion... I don't suppose she means a Super-Saiyan, does she? "I see. So what's this all got to do with me and...?" Trunks then blanched as he realized the purpose of bringing him here. "Now hold on a minute. You don't really expect me to do what I think you want me to do?"

"Tomorrow is the summit meeting between the leaders of all the neighboring tribes." Lons said. "If they were to see that BOTH princesses were present and ready to use the Eye of God at a moment's notice, then they would surely stand with us against the Bugrom and ..."

"Now hold on! I won't do it! I won't be somebody's sister!"

"Please! I beg of you!" Rune turned to face Trunks with tearful eyes. "If you do not do this, then the fragile peace between Florastika and its allies would be in jeopardy!"

"I won't do it! I won't dress as a woman!"

----------

CLANG!

Trunks grumbled as he and his sensei sat in the dungeon, which happened to be a large column of stone with a wide gap circling it. It was more than a hundred feet to the other side, and could only be reached via the folding platform, which was situated on the other end. This effectively eliminated the need for bars. At least, by human standards.

Trunks was pretty certain that he could escape from the dungeon without trying. Heck, he wouldn't even have to fly. A good running jump would get him to the other side. However, there was his sensei to worry about, which was the main reason why he didn't resist the guards when they brought them to this place.

Trunks shook his head again as he tried to figure a way out of this mess without revealing the true nature of his powers to his history teacher.

----------

Bugrom territory....

"Well boys, you can all relax now that your friend Jinnai is here."

Jinnai sat beside the Bugrom around a campfire, patting their backs in friendly comradeship. When one of them offered him a bread-like loaf, he took it and bit into it. "Whoa! Thanks pal. This stuff is the manna of the gods! Yessiree, we are going to get along real well!"

----------

Back in the dungeon...

"Damn, and we got off to a good start too." Fujisawa commented as he stared at the door on the other side.

"So do you have any ideas?"

"Don't worry about it, Trunks! With our new super-powers, we can escape from this dungeon easily. Check it out!" He got up and ran to the other side of the column, He then tensed up and got up to full steam running toward the edge for a jump for the exit. However, he didn't get very far...

"FUJISAWA JUMP! WHOA!"

Trunks had to move really fast to catch his sensei and bring him back over the edge before he fell. The history teacher was panting hard as he saw just how close he was from plummeting down the pit.

"I don't get it. What happened to all my super-powers?"

----------

At the Bugrom Citadel...

Queen Diva was quite attractive, for a humanoid Bugrom. She had a very slender figure and her hair was a bright magenta. Minor things such as the fact that she had antennae and wasp-like wings only served to enhance her good looks. However, her attractive visage hid a much more insidious and cruel personality as she gazed at the newcomer who was lead to her throne by her loyal followers.

She stood up from her throne and faced Kasuhiko Jinnai as her subjects kneeled on either side of the aisle that led to her.

"I am Diva. I am Queen, ruler of the omnipotent Bugrom."

Jinnai returned the grand greeting with his own. "I am Katushiko Jinnai, and I hail from a land far greater than all others! I am the ruler of Shinnaome High School!"

Diva studied the person before her for a moment before addressing him once again. "Is it possible that your arrival here is the long-awaited advent?"

"Sure! Er... Of course I am!"

"Then tell me... are you the messenger sent from God to lead us?"

"Er... messenger?"

"I'm asking you if you are the messenger sent from God to lead us in battle against our enemies in El Hazard."

Jinnai smiled as he replied. "Yes! I am the one who will lead you to battle... and conquest! Now that's my kind of mission!"

Diva smiled as she saw her way to glory in this person. "Then you are the one!"

Jinnai smirk became even more pronounced as he got a rousing cheer from the assembled Bugrom and began milking this newfound fame and power for all it was worth. "We will conquer! I will lead you to victory!"

Diva joined in with her followers. "We shall be victorious and El Hazard shall finally belong to us!"

As the cheers grew even louder, Jinnai chuckled to himself. Here he had found a much greater destiny than the one he left behind on Earth. Why rule over a few hundred students when he could have an entire world at his fingertips?

----------

The dungeon of Florastika...

"Hey Trunks! Do you think you could jump to the other side? Maybe you still have your powers."

"I guess so." Trunks replied tentatively. It wasn't that he couldn't do it. When he was ten years old, he was already capable of making thirty-five-foot broad jumps. Getting to the other side would be a snap. He walked over to the other side of the column to get a good running start, then paused for a minute before walking back to his sensei.

"What's wrong, Trunks? Did you lose your powers too?"

"No... it's not that, Mr. Fujisawa. I just thought of something. Even if I did get to the other side and move that platform over for you to get out, then exactly WHERE would we go after we fight our way out of the palace?"

"What?"

"Think about it. We're not only on another world, but in another dimension entirely! Where could we go or who could we turn to for help? We don't know anyone here and we don't have any money. Even if we did, I doubt that Roshtarian people would accept Japanese yen, American dollars or any other kind of Earth currency. We have don't have a single idea of how we got here, (other than that strange girl), and we have even less of an idea of how to get back! So where are we going to go?"

Fujisawa sank to his knees as the words of his student became clear to his alcoholic mind. He was right. They could be in the dungeon, lost in the woods, trapped in the desert or swimming in the sea. It didn't matter for this entire world had become their prison.

----------

The next morning, in the dungeon...

"Oh man! I REALLY need a drink!" Fujisawa moaned as he puffed another cigarette from his dwindling supply. He was lying on his side with several cigarette butts strewn on the floor.

Sitting cross-legged beside him, Trunks was deep in thought as he recalled the words of Rune Venus.

"When the Eye of God blinks... the path to the sky will open and the Shadow Nation becomes one... the Eye of God..." He then addressed his sensei. "Sensei...what kind of weapon do you think this Eye of God is?"

"Don't know... maybe it's like a nuclear bomb or something."

"I've got an idea about this Eye of God thing and..."

"A DRINK is more important than your ideas!" Masamichi then got up and began to get hysterical. "If I don't get a drink soon, I'm going to go crazy! ARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!"

"Mr. Fujisawa, don't do it!" Trunks immediately got to his feet and ran after his sensei as he dashed toward the edge of the column. He then stopped in his tracks as he saw his teacher jump the gap with more than three feet to spare and then pound his fist into a nearby wall, crumbling it. At that moment, the doors to the dungeon opened and in stepped Lons and two of the guards. They stood in shock as they now saw a large hole in the wall. Mr. Fujisawa could only laugh nervously as it appeared to the guards that he was about to make an escape.

----------

Trunks couldn't believe that he was doing this as the handmaidens began dressing him in the garb of royalty... female royalty that is. To his more muscular frame, they used looser fabrics and had to tie down his waist to make it appear more feminine. Beside him, Fujisawa was chugging down a bottle of wine, feeling good with himself.

"I figured out what turns you into Superman; you're being sober. The less you drink, the stronger you get."

The history teacher looked down at his bottle and winced. "Is that all? Well, if that isn't a cursed gift! But what about you?"

"I don't drink, so it's no problem for me."

Masamichi then took another slug before asking his student, "By the way, what made you change your mind about the disguise?"

"The Eye of God." Trunks wrinkled his nose as facial powder was applied.

"What do you mean?"

"When the Eye of God blinks and the path to the sky opens up, and the Phantom Nation becomes one... what I think that means is that the Phantom Nation is another dimension that overlaps with this one and vice-versa."

"Come again?"

Trunks sighed as he realized that he was talking like his mother again. "The Eye of God is a weapon, right? That must mean that it's able to break through the dimensional wall." Trunks silently added, And it may be our only chance of getting back home since this world doesn't have anything like the Dragon Balls. It's not like I can just go look for them and wish for the Eternal Dragon to send us back.

"So what you're saying is that if we can somehow get a hold of it, then theoretically, we can get back home."

"That's the plan." Trunks said as the servants applied a special dye, which colored his hair brown and then added a wig of long tresses. "So we just play along." He was then crowned with a large hat that completed the ensemble. The servants bowed and left, whispering among themselves that it would never work.

As soon as Trunks turned around, Fujisawa gave him a wolf whistle. "Whoo mama! How about a date!" He then began laughing.

Trunks growled at his sensei. "Don't you ever say that to me!"

At that moment, Rune and Lons entered the chambers and smiled as they appraised the handiwork of the handmaidens.

"You're so beautiful! You look just like my dear sister Fatora."

"Yes, he is the very image of her Highness." Lons agreed.

"Gee, thanks..." Trunks said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Now don't you worry, Trunks... I mean, Fatora. Just stay close to me during the summit meeting and everything will be fine."

"Right." Trunks replied with depression. He was thankful that neither his father nor his mother could see him right now.

At that moment, another person entered the chambers. He was a tall man with long, straight, silver-white hair that was combed back. He wore blue-white robes and black tights.

"Princess."

"Gallus! You know that only members of the Royal Family are allowed in here." Rune said as she smiled at her betrothed.

"Well, can't you bend the rules for your fiancé?" The newcomer said as he took Venus' hand and kissed the back of it. He then turned to greet the others and stopped short when he beheld... the princess 'Fatora.' He then recomposed himself and turned back to Rune. "I heard about the attack yesterday and I dropped everything and rushed over here to make certain that you were safe. If anything had happened to you, I just wouldn't know what to do..."

"Your concern for my well being is very... reassuring." Rune said with a bit of red in her cheeks.

"I had thought that your pilgrimage was supposed to be in secret. However did the Bugrom find out about it? Perhaps there is a spy in our midst?"

"I pray that isn't the case."

Lons then gave a polite cough and interrupted the couple, saying that Rune and her sister need to prepare for the day's events. Gallus nodded as he gave Rune's hand another kiss and then bowed to the others. Before leaving, he paused before Trunks and addressed him in a polite manner. "You're as beautiful as ever... Princess."

Trunks could only smile sweetly, (more torturous for him than any of Vegita's training sessions), and replied in the most girlish he could muster. "Thank you, dear future brother-in-law."

Gallus nodded as he took his hand and gave it a kiss before departing.

It took all of Trunks' Saiyan will not to throw up. Though he was very curious about that character. Like the other Z fighters, Trunks had learned to sense a person's power levels and there was something odd that Gallus was hiding about himself.

Masamichi Fujisawa made a disparaging comment about Gallus, in which Dr. Schtallebaugh voiced out his opinion about him when he joined the group. Rune quickly silenced them as she led Trunks toward the main hall where the other leaders were waiting.

----------

Trunks was exhausted that night as he went to Fatora's room to sleep. The entire day had been so hectic and full of close calls, that on several occasions, he had been tempted to give up and to Hell with the whole charade. If it were not for Princess Rune's guidance, he would not been able to convince the tribal leaders that he was the missing Fatora. And then there was that time in which he had to go. When he came to the royal bathroom, he found that it had more than two dozen handmaidens kneeling on the sidelines of the aisle leading to the toilet. So much for privacy and Trunks had to hold it in until he found the servants' restrooms. Even then, he had to wait until it was completely empty before relieving himself.

Now all he wanted to do was sleep. He didn't even bother to change into some nightclothes as he plopped down into the bedroom. It was at that moment that he felt the presence of another getting into the bed with him. He suddenly stiffened as he felt a pair of small hands roaming over his more private areas and then heard a sultry voice whispering to him.

"Hello Fatora. It is your true love Allielle, here to soothe your tired bones. Now..."

As soon as the girl began licking her way up his thigh, Trunks couldn't take it any more.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

----------

Somewhere out in the desert...

Nanami moaned as she came to an oasis and handed the merchant the last of her yen for some water. However, the man took one look at the alien currency, blew his nose with it, crumpled it up and threw it away.

Jinnai sister moaned and said, "Why does my life have to be so hard in every world?"

End of chapter 1

Author's notes

Well, as you may have surmised, in this version, there is no Makoto Mizuhara. Now don't get me wrong. I like the character Makoto, but he was just like Kazuki of Dual, Tenchi Masaki of Tenchi Muyo and all those other male heroes who are mostly wimpy, sensitive types and I was getting tired of that. Now I decided to recast Trunks into the starring role and as we all know, he is more than capable of taking care of himself and kicking butt. It was an experiment in which I couldn't resist. I kept on getting ideas about a Demon God vs. a Super-Saiyan and also exploring the inner personality of Trunks. With the exception of the Future Trunks in Dragon Z during the Cell Games, we really don't see much in the way of character development for Trunks until much later in Dragonball GT. Even then, that isn't saying much.

The first chapter is probably the closest to the original as I can get. As the story progresses along, the readers will notice many changes and such. Why did I alter Fatora's appearance to look more like Trunks? Well, how else could I get Trunks to wear a dress? (grin) Okay, enough small talk. In the second chapter, Trunks will be even more hard-pressed to keep his powers under wraps as he and his group travel to find their way home. They will have to consult the Great Priestesses of Mount Muldoon and the first person the encounter will be none other than Shayla-Shayla. And you can bet that Trunks will make more of an impression with her that Makoto ever did!

For those of you who are wondering if the other Z fighters will make an appearance... well, that would be telling! Oh and if I spelled any of the characters' names wrong, then I apologize and will spell them right the next time if the readers would give me the correct spellings. See you then!