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18 years later . . . .

A purple-locked head poked into the room. "Mom, someone's here to see you." A worried look creased his forehead.

Bulma sighed and got up from her mat on the floor. The smiled softly at her son, Trunks, and walked out of her room, gently touching him on the shoulder. She gazed at him for a moment, sadness touching her eyes. "Looks so much like his father." she thought to herself. She continued on into the outer room.

"Ah, there's my little half-breed."

Bulma sighed and glared half-heartedly at Kane. His arms were outstretched, ready to embrace her. She grimace and turned away from him. "What do you want now?"

He feigned hurt. "I just wanted to see how my favorite person was doing." He made a sad face and gave her puppy-dog eyes.

"That's all you ever do. Don't you have better things to do?" she said, irritated.

"So little to do and so much time. That's the curse of being a god." he said nonchalantly.

"That's why I'd rather not be one." she remarked to him. Trunks suddenly appear at the doorway, his face emotionless. But she knew better. Beneath that stoic gaze he was moldering in his anger. Kane didn't know what he was up against.

"Oh, come now." he said, approaching her. "Don't you want to live forever?" He wrapped his arms around her waist, oblivious to her sons burning gaze.

"Not with you." she said, disgusted. She pushed him away.

"Then with who: that man who left you 18 years ago to carry his child all by your lonesome? The mass murderer?" he exclaimed.

Before Bulma could take another breath Kane was hanging in Trunks' hands, the air being choked out of him. "Don't you ever talk about my father again." he threatened through clenched teeth.

Kane glared at him. "You know, you're just like your father." he rasped.

"Then you know what he's capable of." Bulma threw in. "I suggest you leave."

Trunks grunted his agreement.

Kane closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. Then he was gone.

Bulma sighed and slumped down to the floor, too tired to stand. Trunks ran to her side.

"Mom, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

She raised a shaky hand to her temple. "I'm just tired." she whispered. She leaned lightly on him as she got up from the floor and shuffled softly to her room. Trunks walked with her to her room and helped her to lay down on her mats. The sunlight filtered gently through the matted roof, causing shapes to appear in all corners of the room. Bulma smiled at him and played with a lock of his hair as she laid down.

"You know, you look so much like your father." she whispered to him.

Trunks smiled and held her hand. "I know. Everyone's told me."

Bulma smiled wider and closed her eyes.

"Mom, you need to start eating again. You're getting too weak." he said softly.

"I'm not hungry." she replied, sighing softly.

Before Trunks could reply, a voice called from the outer room. "Bulma! Trunks!"

Trunks sighed and got up from the floor to see who was calling. Bulma heard a laugh and then soft hurried voices. Chichi appeared later, a worried frown creasing her face.

"Bulma, you need to eat." she said as soon as she came through the doorway.

Bulma grinned at her. "What, no hello?" she said sarcastically.

"Bulma," Chichi said, placing her hands on her hips. "This is not funny. If you don't start eating I'm going to have to get Kakkarot to shove the food down your throat. You know how worried he gets for you."

"Misplaced loyalties." Bulma muttered under her breath. Before Chichi could come back with a snapping remark, Bulma said, "I'm just not hungry."

By this time Trunks had come back into the room. Chichi turned to him. "Could you leave us alone for a minute?"

Trunks nodded and left the room.

Chichi turned back to Bulma. "You know, he's not coming back, Bulma." she said, smoothing Bulma's brilliant blue hair back from her face.

"I know." Bulma said softly. Over the years she and Chichi had had this conversation many times, and she always said the same thing. But she could hope . . . couldn't she?

"Kane's illusion was good Bulma. It would have fooled anyone into believing the earth blew up." she said sympathetically.

Bulma was quiet for a moment, reflecting on that last moment. "I . . . I had so wanted him to leave me in peace, to leave me alone," she said haltingly. She directed her blue eyes to Chichi's dark ones. "But then, as time passed, I missed him." She snapped her head away and looked at her hands as her fingers rung the blanket in her grasp. "He hurt me, you know, hurt me bad," she snorted, "but I still love him. I know it's a terrible thing," she rushed, lifting a hand to silence Chichi, "but it's true. For that one moment he was mine, and I was his; there was no master and slave. We were . . . partners, lovers." She paused for a moment. "Every night I lay by myself remembering his touch. It's driving me crazy." she said softly. "But I can't stop." She placed her gaze on Chichi's face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Chichi's cheeks were wet with hot tears. She opened her arms and embrace her sister, her friend.

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"Sire," Turles said as he entered the throne room.

"What?" Vegeta snapped. Today was just not his day. Then again, no day was his day anymore, not since . . . her.

"I am here to inform you that the people are waiting for an heir, and heir to your throne." he said factually.

Vegeta scowled. "Since when did the people care?" he sneered.

"Well, Sire, the years are passing by, and each year you reject every female that makes advances at you." Turles said, a little too comfortably for Vegeta's tastes.

Vegeta glared at him. "And what business do the people have in who I take to my bed chambers?"

"None, Sire, I'm just merely stating-"

Vegeta raised his hand to silence Turles. "I have no interest in those weak females." he stated.

Turles knew when to leave well enough alone. He exhaled largely through his nose before he started on his next subject. "Sire, it has come to our attention that a new planet has been formed."

Vegeta looked at him bored. "And what does this mean to me?"

"Well, Sire, it has been found that intelligent life seem to be inhabiting the planet."

Vegeta looked at him skeptically. "Intelligent life? How can that be if the planet was just formed?"

"Sire, out scientists have no idea how this could have occurred. It seems as if one day there was no planet, and the next there was. They are quite perplexed." Turles said factually.

Vegeta ran a gloved hand over his mouth. "And where is this planet located?"

Vegeta saw Turles visibly hesitate, as if he was readying himself for whatever he was going to say.

"In the exact location of planet Earth."

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