???

Game Master rubbed his hands together gleefully. "It worked. My adware really worked. Hmmhmm, and they call you a genius, King of Time!"

"No way, GM! Turles did it?" Asked his companion.

Rai smirked. His large glasses lit up. "Heh! Take a look. Using Turles to create the ultimate Anti-hero was the smartest thing I could have done. Trunks Briefs is against...himself!"

"That's simply evil. I love it."

"The best part is 'he' doesn't know his role yet! Chisato, my masterpiece, soon I'll see you in the flesh, and I didn't need those Dragon Balls to do it." Game master chuckled and sipped his coffee.

"Ah ah, I see. So that's what you meant when you told me you had a backup plan. Your weed has sprouted well, sir."

"Indeed."

.

.

.

Goku's Home, Mt. Paozu

Zamasu looked from the table, across the kitchen and into the hallway which circled Goku's home. He couldn't see very well around it of course, but his senses were tuned keenly in that particular direction.

"Ya know, it's still strange you're not well," Goku cupped his mouth and said, "a total baddie."

"I assure you that life is behind me." Zamasu replied.

A sharp fear rang from the hallway and into his chest. It was startling, both because the fear wasn't his own but someone else, and because it was the only person he cared for. His favorite mortal was in trouble, and the two male Ki he sensed had to be responsible.

That wouldn't do. At all.

Zamasu rose and left Goku mid-sentence on the exploits of his other self and walked as calmly as he could from the kitchen and into the hallway. He rounded it and saw that Gohan had Chisato in his arms, and judging from Goten's face, the young Son had saw something he wasn't expecting.

"Son Goten," Zamasu greeted.

Goten looked as though he'd saw a ghost. He wobbled past Zamasu who quickly grabbed his forearm and said, "Wait a moment."

"What is it?" Goten asked.

Using his free hand, Zamasu conjured the only power he knew to fix the situation at hand. It was a memory erasing tool, similar to an Angel's Time Reversal in that it was limited to a span of mere minutes. The move was forbidden, but because Zamasu sensed he would one day be exiled for loving a mortal, he didn't mind helping.

Tap

Hit in the back of the head with it, Goten fell forward in a slump and appeared to have fainted.

"Oh no!" Chisato dashed over, and looked to Zamasu with a critical eye. "You hurt him! Y-You didn't need to do that!"

Gohan stood still. His ki shot up. "I hope you have a good reason to attack my brother."

Zamasu bit the inside of his jaw a little. Mortals were always jumping to conclusions without waiting for a proper answer. Even his precious Chisato looked at him as though he were a criminal. He motioned with his hand, "I erased his memory of the last ten minutes."

"Eh?" Chisato blinked at him.

"He's saying Goten won't remember seeing us together." Gohan answered, and his Ki lowered back to normal. "I was thinking it had to be something like that. Thanks, Zamasu. I owe ya one."

"No need to thank me. It was all for her." Zamasu replied.

The one in question batted her lashes bashfully up at him, and relaxed her stance. She bowed politely. "In that case, thank you very much, Lord Zamasu! I'm so sorry I--ano--I got mad at you. It's just...well..."

"Hm. Think nothing of it." He replied. There was a slight and satisfied smirk on his face at seeing Chisato's cheeks grow pink with warmth. He'd surprised her just as he'd hoped.

"We gotta be more careful, Chisa." Gohan said. He sighed and ran a hand through his wild black hair, "I'm just glad it wasn't Dad or something! Man, that would be hard to explain."

Teen Trunks walked around the hallway holding a game case in his hand, and a soda can in the other. He'd shed his outer uniform shirt and looked ready for playtime. Until he saw Goten passed out in the floor. "Huh--? Wha--?"

The same fear from before came back into Zamasu's chest. He flicked his eyes to Chisato and saw that she was leaning on Gohan's shoulder for support, and looked as though she'd vomit.

"He fell asleep where he stood," Zamasu said. "Young children are so horrible at sleeping properly. It would seem he played too many videogames last night."

Trunks blinked a few times. "Well, yeah, he did stay up with me and play the new Clean God game...I guess he kept on going when I went to bed."

Gohan suggested that he be taken to his room to rest, and while Trunks left with Goten on his shoulder, the three left looked at one another. "I don't think I like the way you're obssessed over Chisa," Gohan said.

Zamasu's spine bristled. He grit his teeth back and forth in his mouth, and spat, "I don't require your advice. She's going to be mine, and I won't need to do anything to gain her favor, unlike you."

"I don't need to do anything." Gohan said. He jerked Chisato to his chest and held her there. "Chisa is mine because we--we--"

"Gohan. It's okay. Lord Zamasu...he's kidding. (I think.)" Chisato replied.

'Hardly. She's so naive and innocent.' Zamasu thought.

Their hands were held in plain sight again. Both were unaware of it until Goku popped his head around the corner, which made Chisato move a good two feet away from her brother just in time.

"There you guys went! Kimchi is putting Chichi through the ringer in there. Pretty sure she's tuckered out." Goku said. He beamed at his adopted daughter and said, "I'm tickled pink that I've got not one, but three grand kids! And they're all saiyans!"

"Yes, the population just keeps growing," Zamasu said. He eyed Chisato. "When you're ready, we should go back. There's things to be done."

"Oh, yes, of course. Ano...please let me say goodbye."

.

.

Capsule Corp

"Momma!" Tie ran to his mother, who was holding a sleeping Kimchi.

Chisato giggled with happiness and kissed her son on the forehead. "Oh Tie....I miss cuddling you at night. I really hope it won't be long and I can come back to Gohan's home."

She looked down at her hand, to the wedding ring. "Daddy should be calling soon."

"You sure do miss him a lot momma. I do too. He's supposed to show me all kinds of stuff. He's got to. He promised!" Tie said. His face was one who adored his father and was quite proud to be the son of Trunks Briefs.

From a few feet away stood Zamasu. He'd not moved, and didn't look happy at something. Chisato looked over at him. "Ano, Lord Zamasu? Is there something the matter?"

He nodded. "Inside. There's been a change. One...I didn't account for."

"A change? What kind of change?" Chisato asked.

Her brilliant minded son floated in the air and pointed to the upper most level of Capsule Industries. "He's talking about my other grandma. She's in there, right now. I think something happened in the past. Momma? Why did you get pale all of a sudden?"

At that moment a Ki Chisato recognized zoomed in their general direction. She snatched Tie to her bosom and turned to Zamasu. "We're leaving."

The Kai didn't utter a word but touched Chisato's shoulder just as she used Instant Transmission.

.

.

.

Gohan's Home, Office

"Huh? Chisa?" Gohan jumped. They'd erupted into his office at home, and he hadn't begun working just yet, as the laptop was closed.

The [Soul - Mate ] link allowed Gohan to quickly figure out what had made Chisato suddenly visit. He walked from behind his desk and gave Zamasu a stern glare. "You knew this would happen and still allowed it. Care to explain that?"

There was a knock at the door. Gohan answered it, and Videl came in with Pan behind her. Little Pan was holding a tray of slightly misshapen but heavily decorated cookies. Their shapes were varied, but seemed to resemble ornaments. "We brought you a little snack. For work. Oh! Chisato, it's been so long. And you've brought Tie and...could it be Zamasu?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," Chisato said. She bowed. "I won't be long. Ano...I just needed to see Gohan for a minute."

"You know this is your home as much as it is ours. You're always welcome here," Videl said. She sat down the plate of goodies. "Pan made these. Eat up!"

"Thanks Pan." Gohan pet his daughters head softly. "I'll eat them in a bit."

Videl and Pan left, and Pan drug Tie out with her to 'play' outside. The remaining attendants turned to Chisato, who had sweat running down her cheek. Gohan wiped it away with a napkin on his desk and took Kimchi from her. "Sit down a minute. Take as long as you need. I'm sure...I'm sure Trunks won't do anything. At least, not while I'm around."

Chisato shook her head and refused to sit down. Her mind had travelled back in time and stayed there, all until Zamasu broke her trance. "It's time to go back to Conton. He cannot enter your dorm."

"Right." Chisato didn't move from her spot, however. She was frozen in place.

Gohan couldn't bear seeing her like that and gave her a hug. "Chisa...you're safe now. We're all here to protect you. Even Zamasu. What I'm saying is, please...try not to think about it."

"I can't help it, Gohan....I'm so weak, aren't I? If only I could have beaten Turles on my own---then none of it would have happened! It's all because I stopped training!"

Despite his words to the opposite, Chisato's opinion couldn't be swayed. Both Gohan and Zamasu were unable to calm her down, and it wasn't until Zamasu took her back to the Dorm room along with Kimchi that she stopped hyperventilating.

.

.

.

Conton, Time Academy Dorms

Even though she had stopped hyperventilating, her bleak expression and lack of response worried Zamasu more than he liked. He took Kimchi and laid her upon the bed pillows and stole Chisato to his chest, simply to rub her wrist in a soothing fashion.

Back and forth his thumb pressed gently into her wrist. The action distracted her enough that she leaned to his side and slowly calmed down.

"Thank you...I'm sorry. For being this way--"

"--Don't apologize. I understand why it's difficult for you. To treat you that way, wearing the face of someone you love." Zamasu finished his task of soothing and held her side to his.

'Ah...it's happening again. That same tingly feeling I had before.' Chisato breathed his rose aroma into her nose and found that her heart was racing. She didn't, however, have the willpower to move away from his comfort and instead dove her head downward. A simple pat on the back was all she felt from him.

"W-What w-was that you were doing, Lord...Z-Zamasu?"

"We all have pressure points. That one in particular is good for the nervous system." He replied.

"Ehh, so you know lots about--about..." Chisato stopped short, as the racing of her heart continued to increase. She put her hand to her chest and could feel for herself the ba-dump it did, as if she were running hard.

"You're fine with me, Chisato. It's only because you're in heat that it's racing." Zamasu said.

'Ah. I guess that makes sense. But...' Chisato thought to herself. Out loud she asked, "But you aren't a saiyan. It's still...b-beating a lot..."

"It would do the same for a human. Saiyans are capable of breeding with compatible races."

She knew that to be true, as her both her father Goku and father in law mated with humans. Chisato peeked a glance up at Zamasu and found his gray eyes. She looked away and back again and then asked, "D-Do you...do you s-smell it, Lord Zamasu?"

"Fear not." He traced his hand down her flushed cheek and gently smiled. "Even though I smell it, I'm not a saiyan."

"I--I see. R-Right. T-That's why...I'm here, after all. S-Sorry for being so silly..."

Her eyes shut at the light and feathery soft hand which slid down her face. Those same fingers outlined her ear before he tucked her head to his chest. She didn't want to move from that spot, and couldn't resist shoving her nose into it. She was rewarded with a wonderful aroma, and as the room began to spin around and around, Chisato pulled his head down to her.

Just as their lips began to touch, her wedding ring rang.

*ring*

"Trunks," she panted out.

[Trunks: It's good to hear your voice. I was worried sick.]

Zamasu pinched his brows but stayed quiet, and watched her mouth from the side. "T-Trunks--" she repeated. Her chin quivered and within seconds, the relief and feelings she'd held back came out. "--it's you. Really you. Hic! Hic! P-Please, can you come back? I'm so sorry--I can't do this alone--Without you by my side, hic--!"

And thus she couldn't tell the details of her past month for the time spent crying. On the other line, her husband was quiet, and when he spoke up his voice wavered. "Believe me...I'd love to. Things haven't been easy, but...I know everything. The other me...damn him, he left me a notebook, like I'm just a joke! Listen, whatever you do, Chisato, don't trust him! He isn't like me--he's been warped by Game Master in the past. I don't know how he did it, but when Turles went back in time, something changed. Something bad."

Chisato tried her best to listen to Trunk's words, and only when Zamasu put his hand on her back did she sober long enough to say, "I understand. I'll stay here."

[Trunks: Now that the barrier is done, as soon as Shallot gathers the rest of them, I'll send him back.]

'Shallot? But I---I need you, Trunks.' Her mind whispered.

"Yes. I understand. I'll do my best. Ah, Kimchi, Tie and Kolard are doing well." Chisato talked longer until Trunks informed her that she needed to eat, and that he would call as soon as he could.

[Trunks: I love you Chisato Briefs. Don't worry, Zamasu is there. He's been keeping me up to speed on things, and the King of Time has a plan of his own.]

She longed to ask him once more to come for her but couldn't find it in her to be so selfish, and thus ended the call.

As fresh dew ran down her face, Zamasu wordlessly held her. He braided the lengths of her hair and wiped her damp cheeks. "You have me." He reminded her. "I'm a worthy adversary for this Game Master."

Chisato covered his hand with hers and peered into his crystal eyes. She nodded. "I'm...relying on you, Lord Zamasu."

The sweet smile she received from him was both beautiful and heartfelt. "From now until forever, call me Zama."