Ace's eyes fluttered opened from the morning light that seeped through the window. He looked around at the unfamiliar room that he was in until he felt something shift beneath him. Liz was sleeping peacefully in his arms, causing the memories of yesterday to flow back into his mind. He felt a little better from Liz's comforting from the day before, strengthening his desire to try to prevent this arranged marriage between him and that girl from the Hashi family. It was such a terrible thought to him that even thinking of her name had seemed to summon her without warning, such as the case of right now. Ace's phone buzzed in his pocket, alerting him that he had gained a new message. He picked it up and saw a text message with various hearts to it and flirty emojis.
"What the?! How did she get my number!" Ace wondered. On cue, he started to get a call from the same girl that had texted him twenty seconds ago. Ace fumbled around before gently placing Liz on the couch and making his way out of her apartment, placing the phone close to his ear as he answered.
"Yes Merisa.....?" Ace asked sounding annoyed by the fact that this chick was calling him somehow.
"Oh come on now cutie, why do you sound so glum for." Merisa said with seductiveness in her voice.
"Cut the crap and get to the point. Why did you call?" Ace's eyebrow twitched.
"Jeez if you want to know so badly then I will tell you. I just simply wanted to remind you that we will finally meet in person at the banquette. I just wanted to tell you how excited I am since I heard rumors that you are quite the catch. I haven't seen you in six years." Merisa said.
"Is that all? Cause I really could care less when we meet in person." Ace harsh.
"Why are you having an attitude with me if I never did anything to you? We should work on building up this relationship since we will be husband and wife." She cooed.
"For starters, I am forced into this whole mess because of my poor excuse of a father and second, we aren't husband and wife and we will never be until it's officially confirmed." Ace snapped. He could hear a fit of laughter on the other side of the phone.
"You really must be in denial to think the signing will take place. I will make sure to show you a good time on our honeymoon but in the meantime, I will save this conversation for later. Bye now." Merisa chirped, hanging up the call and leaving Ace to stand in the hallway alone. Out of frustration he slammed his fist against the wall, shaking the necklace that his mother gave him before she passed........
Kuzuku's Place
Kuzuku had just got done with his work, leaving him with the entire day to himself. It was good for him to have some time alone but there was one problem. He was practically crippled and couldn't really do much. That was probably the main reason why he was now sitting at the couch in front of his T.V. That was when an idea came to mind.
"Hey wait, I can still teleport and go out. I don't have to try and fly my way to the city." Kuzuku told himself. He grabbed his crutches and got up slowly from the couch, motioning his hands to the top of his forehead and focused on the mass amount of Ki signatures that are swarming around the city. Once he found what seemed to be a secluded spot, he teleported to the area in a flash.
-Instant Transmission SFX-
The Saiyan appeared in what seemed to be a park nearby a fountain. He looked around to see if anyone had seen him and sighed with utmost relief. Kuzuku then started to make his way around the city, searching for a particular store in the process. That was when he stopped in front of a gift shop that seemed to be filled with numerous of people. Kuzuku's eyes glistened from finding the shop he had been looking for. He slowly walked inside and began looking.
"I wonder if they have it? I know that she'd definitely be there today." Kuzuku muttered to himself while wandering the store. His eyes then caught the item that he had been looking for. He turned and walked towards the pile of the same item that he had been looking for and picked the nicest and most lively one he could see. It was a large bouquet of flowers that contained a variety of colors.
"These flowers should be good." Kuzuku chirped. As he went on to turn around, he seemed to have bumped into someone, causing them to stumble back a bit.
"Hey watch where you are going, you could of broken one of my heels." A long, light blue haired girl wearing a blue long-sleeve sweater and a purse complained. A large man wearing a suit came quickly to her aid, passing off that this girl must be pretty rich.
"Sorry, I should of been more careful." Kuzuku smiled. The girl was taken back a bit by his response and softened up to notice he was in crutches and had various bandages all over his body, making her wonder about how he received such injuries. She let out a deep sigh knowing that having her bodyguard to teach him a lesson would be a waste of an effort since he is pretty much injured.
"Its fine, but have better awareness next time." She scolded as she walked past him. Kuzuku was left dumbfounded by a little bit since he didn't expect to be let off that easily. He smiled at how much of a softy she was and decided to thank her.
"Thank you....uh?" Kuzuku called out but didn't know her name.
"It's Merisa Hashi." She said, pausing her movements before walking away. Our Saiyan hero nodded and made his way towards the register, paying for the flowers before leaving the store. He checked his phone for the time to find out that it was 3:30 PM.
"3:30 already? I guess having crutches and all slows you down greatly. I can't wait till those senzu beans regrow." Kuzuku said. Once he found a secluded alleyway, he went on to sense 21's energy, noticing that she was at the place where she usually goes after a conference, such as today. In mere moments, he left the alley with his technique that he's loved so dearly.
-Instant Transmission SFX-
The Saiyan had arrived where he sensed 21's Ki. The area was surrounded by trees, indicating that they were indeed in a forest or what seemed to be a large open area in the forest. The leaves seemed to fall gracefully onto the ground as the wind blew. Kuzuku looked around for a moment before he spotted the girl that's been a blessing to his life in her majin form, standing their with her work clothes . She was standing over what seemed to be a makeshift grave that resided under a tree that stood centered of the open area. He walked over to alert his presence to his girlfriend.
"In your majin form while in your work clothes is new." Kuzuku said, gaining the attention of 21. She jumped when he heard his voice, giving off a pouting face to the Saiyan for scaring her.
"You know, a light tap on the shoulder helps a lot you know." 21 pouted. Kuzuku let out a slight chuckle and step towards the grave sight.
"I'm sorry for that 21, I couldn't resist but hey, I did bring flowers for him." Kuzuku smiled, placing the flowers on the grave and went back to her side. The two merely stared off at the tombstone that had nothing written on it. On one thing was there and that was a photo of Android 16 that leaned itself on it. After a several minutes of just being in deep thought, 21 let out a slight giggle that caught Kuzuku's attention.
"What's so funny?" Kuzuku asked.
"Heheheh. Just a thought." 21 replied, gaining a eyebrow raised from the Saiyan. 21 stopped laughing for a moment before looking back at the grave of Android 16.
"Its just that it's funny that Android 16 was actually modeled after my son. I didn't quite know much about him other than the fact he was just a baby when he was born. Not too long after.......well you know. But despite knowing that, I can't even recall his name. Some type of mother I am huh?" 21 noted. She felt as if she was about to cry until she felt Kuzuku's strong arms wrap around her, causing her to look up before having his lips placed onto hers. Kuzuku retracted the kiss and looked into her widened blue eyes and smiled.
"Its okay 21, I'm sure that you would of made a great mother to him if you weren't changed into an majin back then. I think that's the reason why 16 saved your life. To give you that chance again." Kuzuku comforted. 21 wiped the tears out of her eyes and nodded happily. The two turned back to the tombstone with smiles across their face, both of them thanking him for what he has done for them in the past. After quite some time, 21 offered to fly Kuzuku home with one of her capsule jets since she didn't want to carry the Saiyan. After making it nearly half way towards the house, Kuzuku remembered a question that he forgot to ask her.
"Oh how could I forget, 21 can I ask you something?" Kuzuku remembered.
"Yes what is it?" 21 wondered.
"You see, there is this party that is coming up next week and I was wondering if you wanna be my date for it. Ace invited me since he needed my help real bad." Kuzuku said, putting 21's mind into a trance.
"What wrong with Ace?" 21 asked, snapping out of it.
"His dad seems to be trying to force him to marry this girl from a family that has great ties to the Red Ribbon Army. He wants me to try and expose them since they could have a possibility of containing illegal weaponry. This way, if the public were to know about this then in order to protect his family name, his father would have to call the marriage off. In order for me to not stand out, I kinda need a date otherwise I'd be distracted by those who may want to dance with me." Kuzuku explained, causing 21 to shiver at the last part.
"If you don't want to then it find since I-----" Kuzuku was then cut off.
"I'll do it." 21 said immediately
"Huh?" Kuzuku uttered as he was shocked by the instant reply he's gotten.
"I said I'll do it. I don't want any girl to try anything on you so I will be keeping a close eye on you." 21 said. Kuzuku nervously chuckled as he caught on to what she meant by that.
"Geez, I forgot she can be a jealous type when needed." Kuzuku thought. When they arrived, Kuzuku gave her the time and date of when the party was going to occur. After that, she waved goodbye, retracting her jet back into her capsule before flying home at her speed. They Saiyan could only think about how hectic this could get but tried to stay optimistic that things will go smoothly as planned. He hopes..........
The Hashi Mansion That Resides In The Woods
Merisa made it home late at night with various shopping bags that were being held by her butler. She made her way through the halls as her heels made audible sounds when making contact with the floor. Eventually she made it to the living room and opened it to see her father who had gray hair and was in his business clothes sitting on the couch. Her mother was present next to him as her seemingly short blue hair was being brushed by a maid. She rushed over to hug her father and mother.
"I'm back from shopping, it's been a very pleasent day!" Merisa chirped as her arms brought her parents close. They looked up, expecting the hug and smiled genuinely at their daughter.
"That's wonderful dear but you would have to show me what you've bought later. Right now we are in a important meeting." Ozuto said to his daughter. Merisa looked up to see who they were talking to, a man with a pink and green Gi that seemed to be a cyborg as he had a organic ponytail over his shoulder. Noticing this, Ozuto decided to introduce him to her.
"Let me introduce you to him, he was a long time supporting and acquaintance to the Red Ribbon army. Meet the infamous Mercenary Tao." Ozuto explained.
"Hello there girly, I am just nothing more than your friendly neighborhood killer." Tao greeted. Merisa blinked a few times as she lost interest quickly as she only gave a weak reply.
"H......Hi I guess. So father, I can't wait to marry my dear Ace. The wedding will be spectacular I just know it." Merisa said.
"I bet it will, I know that you've had a crush on him since you were in middle school so I did my best to arrange this for you by making a deal with the Sojiro family. Soon we will solidify that deal during the banquette next week as it will be a commendation to your engagement with him." Ozuto smiled.
"Ohhhhh thank you daddy. I love you so much." Merisa hugged her parents tighter. All you could tell was that this was going to be one hell of a night for everyone and those kept in the dark are in for a rollercoaster of emotions.
Two Days Later
It was a cloudy morning as two days passed since 21 and Kuzuku visit the makeshift grave of Android 16. In one particular apartment complex resided a redhead girl that was sleeping with her head placed on the desk that was filled with piles of notes and papers from medical school. Her studies to becoming a doctor had began to take their toll. But that was the least on her mind as she was beginning to think about her boyfriend Ace these past two days. He's never been one to display emotions, especially frustration as she saw him slam his hand on the wall after he had hanged up his phone. She opened her eyes slowly and walked away from her chair to go prepare for the day. She has a free day off so she thinks that it would be a good to visit Ryusika and her new born child Nozomi today. After putting on one of her blue coat and jeans while wearing some shades over her eyes, she walked out of her apartment and made sure the door was closed behind her. Once she, exited she made her way down to the bus stop but on the way, she bumped into someone in particular, causing them to drop the mirror that was in her hand. The supposed expensive object hit the sidewalk and shattered like glass.
"Ugh! You made me drop my mirror!" The woman complained.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to!" Liz apologized. She didn't get a direct response but was given a hawking stare. Liz was starting to feel uncomfortable after a moment as her gaze was unwavering. After a while, she could of sworn that she saw a sly smirk form on her face, as if she had came up with something mischievous.
"Oh Liz, you haven't changed since Middle School have you?" Merisa said.
"Huh? Have we met before?" Liz asked.
"Sigh* Clueless as ever I see, it's me. Merisa if it rings a bell." Merisa said. Liz's eyes widened at the sudden realization of who it was. Nostalgic memories seemed to passed through her mind as she practically jumped and hugged the blue haired girl with joy. She hadn't seen Merisa in years which was something that she nearly forgotten. Merisa was the one who essentially been Liz's friend......well only friend during middle school. Liz didn't use to be this perfect figure in middle school nor was she known by anyone in the school. Merisa was pretty much the main reason for her significant change when she transitioned to highschool.
"Merisa, it's been so long since I've seen you!" Liz claimed.
"Yeah girl, and you've changed a lot. You're gorgeous now!" Merisa noted. Liz let out a giggle from the compliment she had received.
"Heheh, thanks. So...what have you been up to lately?" Liz asked her friend. Merisa smirked almost too obvious that something was off. Her father had a background rundown on Ace prior to the whole force engagement thing and when she discovered that Ace actually had a girlfriend that even his father didn't know about, it sorta pissed her off. And to add insult to injury, that girl was Liz, the one she made friends with in middle school. This lead her to say the following so that she can get her out of the way and make Ace solely for her alone.
"Oh nothing much, just that I am currently about to get engage with a handsome boy from a rich family next week. My parents arranged it and I can't wait." Merisa said with fake enthusiasm.
"Wow, already getting married? Life sure does move fast doesn't it." Liz replied.
"Yeah and I can tell you that he already has a girlfriend and once she finds out, she will be heartbroken since she won't be able to do a thing about it." Merisa laughed, causing Liz to become discomfortable with the conversation. She could tell this wasn't the Merisa that she had remembered back in middle school.
"She'd never hurt someone that badly would she?". Her train of thoughts were interrupted when Merisa suddenly wrapped her arm around her, startling her a bit and sending shivers down her spine.
"How was Ace lately Liz? Did he seemed distressed to you?" Merisa whispered in her ears. Liz was starting to shake as she contemplated on how Merisa would know such personal details, especially about Ace.
"Ho....How do you know that?" Liz dared to asked. She couldn't seem to get the feeling of fear out of her system. The whole atmosphere seemed to grow denser and denser around them as she could faintly see Merisa smirk mischievously.
"Well that's because both our fathers have arranged us to be engaged and he's been uppity about the whole thing. I don't see why since I don't think he has a girlfriend of the sorts." Merisa lied a bit. Liz's expression turned into total shock at what she had just heard, so shocked that she couldn't even utter a word out of her mouth. A smile formed on Merisa's face at her reaction, inwardly laughing out how successful her plan worked out. After being satisfied, she decided it was best to leave before she bursts out to laughter by mistake.
"Well, I better get going now. It's been a nice chat....Lizzy" Merisa feigned as she walked away. Once she was out of the vicinity, Liz proceeded to walk slowly towards the bus stop and sit there to wait for her ride. All she could do was cast her head down as she began to weep in silence from being heartbroken.
Meanwhile At Kuzuku's House
Kuzuku had leeway time to focus on getting himself back up to speed for the day. Thanks to the help of 21's treatments, his recovery was sped up astronomically, so much so that he was able to perfectly walk and fly for the time being. He was as happy as a puppy when he finally left those restrictive crutches behind, though he couldn't do any serious training at the moment. As of right now, he decided to spend the day in deep concentration as he sat cross legged by the stream just outside of his house. He thought back to the time when he trained with Piccolo and Gohan during their time in the time chamber during their preparations for the tournament.
-Flashbacks-
Gohan was gasping for air after a late night spar with his student. He wanted to do this because Kuzuku had claimed that he'd unlocked a new level to his Super Saiyan 3 state. But this was all proven in vain when Kuzuku was yet again knocked to the ground in defeat.
"Gagh! Rats, I still can't beat you despite me mastering this Ki output for Super Saiyan 3!" Kuzuku complained while Gohan descended onto the ground.
"Well Kuzuku, it seems that you've mastered Super Saiyan 3 to where it doesn't drain as much but do you truly have complete control over that power like you have with Mastered Super Saiyan?" Gohan asked.
"Huh? What do you mean by that. I know that I've been mostly figuring out the Ki output since that was the main problem with this form." Kuzuku said.
"*Sigh* What if I told you that making Super Saiyan 3 feel second nature to you is the Ki and the key to getting that relies to something that both my father and I lost long ago. Something to help regulate the power a bit." Gohan hinted. Kuzuku stared at his former teacher with confused eyes.
"From now on, we will do some tail training each day okay!" Gohan chirped, leaving the Saiyan dumbfounded by his sudden enthusiasm.
-Flashback Ends-
Kuzuku got up from the ground and quickly transformed into a Super Saiyan 3. He closed his eyes and focused on his golden tail that had been loosely hanging towards the ground. Then something remarkable happened that caused Kuzuku to open his eyes. His aura flared but didn't seem all that destructive at all, but seemed almost calm like a river. He looked at his hands and started to swirl them around to test some movements. They didn't seem so constricting compared to him trying to not outlet as much power.
"So this is a truly mastered Super Saiyan 3........it feels......light? Almost like it grants me total control without worrying about messing up. I even feel stronger prior to before." Kuzuku noted. The Saiyan deformed and reformed countless times, so that he can get the feel of what he had discovered.
Sometime Later
Liz made it to Ryusika's new house after calming herself down a bit from the crying session she'd had. It was a rather large home which was to be expected for her wealth. She hesitantly knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. In minutes, the door opened to reveal the young mother in all of her glory. She seemed to have taken a shower since she was in a bathing robe.
"Liz, about time you showed up. Let me guess, you were contemplating on some ideas to piss me off today again right?" Ryusika teased. Liz didn't answer, alarming the blond that something was wrong. Ryuskia let out a deep sigh because she knew something bad has happened so it was pretty much her turn to take the tea that she was about to pour.
"Come on, we'll talk inside. Nozomi is sleeping right now so I am not really that busy at the moment." Ryusika offered. Liz nodded and followed her into the house without question. As they entered the living room, Liz saw the baby that had been sleeping on one of the white pillows that was surrounded by various toys. Her face seemed to glisten at that sight as she sat on the couch and waited for Ryusika who was making coffee for the two of them. When she finished, Ryusika sat the two mugs on the table and picked Nozomi off the ground, placing her on her lap as she petted her hair. She smiled lovingly as her daughter twitched from her touch and giggle in her sleep. After being a mother for a moment, Ryusika decided it was time to start her little interrogations.
"Now Liz, tell me what happened cause its kinda rare for you to come to me for problems." Ryusika said. Liz seemed to gaze deeply into her mug, thinking of ways to express herself without breaking down into tears again.
"Ace's father........." Liz muttered.
"What about Ace's father?" Ryuskia pressed on as she was not the patient type. Liz pursed her lips as it was hard to say.
"Ace's father is forcing him to marry Merisa and there is not a thing I can do about." Ryusika informed. Ryusika's face seemed to fallen with sympathy at that news, especially when Merisa was mentioned in the situation. Ryusika and Merisa were pretty much enemies during their whole time in middle school. They would do anything to get on each other nerves such as throwing shade, taunting and humiliating each other whenever the opportunity was opened. Yeah they were pretty much nemeses, more so compared to when Ryusika and Kuzuku were enemies. She merely watched as Liz seemed to breakdown into tears in front of her.
"It hurts Ryusika......it really does. To think that the girl I used to call friend would be the one marrying my boyfriend." Liz sniffed. Ryusika leaned over and rubbed her hand on Liz's knee, gaining the redhead's attention.
"Liz, do you really think Ace would let this happen without much of a fight?" Ryusika said.
"Huh?" Liz uttered.
"Listen Liz, I think I've come to this realization faster than anyone. When a someone has something special to them in their life, they will stop at nothing to keep it. Even if it they were to die, that special thing will be the last thing they want to surrender. In this case Liz, you are that special thing that Ace doesn't want to surrender. He never wants to lose you and will try his hardest to never give up trying to fight this engagement. You just have to be strong for him as well." Ryusika encouraged. Liz remembered what Merisa had said to her.
"Well that's because both our fathers have arranged us to be engaged and he's been uppity about the whole thing."
She smiled when remembering the part where Ace was being uppity over the whole thing, showing that he is in all denial about this engagement. If that was the case then why was she moping for? Ryusika saw her expression and closed her eyes as she thought about another example of what she said.
"Yeah, definitely those two......." Ryusika thought.
"Now, as to what to do next is all on you Liz. You have to pull your weight as well if you want your relationship with him to stand strong." Ryusika added. Liz nodded while she dried her tears.
"Thank you Ryusika, I guess you aren't such a sore ass after all." Liz giggled.
"There is the typical shades I remember. Just take this as repaying the favor." Ryusika smiled. On cue, the door flung open with a particular blond standing just outside with a bunch of more toys.
"I'M BACK AND LOOK! I GOT THIS NICE TOY THAT I AM SURE NOZOMI WILL LOVE!" Kize exclaimed. Nozomi started to shake in her sleep before her eyes grew teary, turning into a full on baby cry that filled the house.
"God damnit Kize you just had to come in all loud and shit. There, there, It will be all right. I know your uncle Kize can be a obnoxious all the time but bare with it okay." Ryusika said while trying to calm Nozomi down. Kize walked inside with a chuckle as he placed the bags on the counter. The three would spend the day with laughter as they continued their talks.
Hours Later Within The Sojiro Mansion
Ace was about to get ready for bed after completing a whole day worth of studying. He was still thinking about the upcoming day where Kuzuku was meant to aid him in keeping his relationship alive. In the mitts of his thoughts, the door to his bedroom opened, revealing someone who he didn't want to see right now. Ace turned around to face his father with an annoyed expression.
"Great now what do you want." Ace spatted
"I am just checking on how my son has been doing." Kuma retorted.
"Oh that's nice, but too bad I didn't ask for your concern." Ace said. Kuma was starting to get annoyed again by his son's rebellious nature.
"Why are you so hard to deal with at times, Ace! Can't I be a parent for one second and show some concern for my son by checking up on his health!" Kuma shouted. Ace stood for a moment as the words made his blood boil. He looked up at his father with pure rage in his eyes.
"You talk about being a parent..........." Ace whispered.
"What type of bullshit is that? You expect me to believe that for a minute? Not even bothering to visit me when I was a kid on all of my activities such as basketball, soccer, getting awards that took me hard dedication to achieve. You expect me to believe that a man who didn't even show up to his own wife's funeral because he had a business trip, to show any concern about my health! Oh lets not forget the fact that you are pretty much forcing me into a marriage that I've never wanted any part in! I have a fucking girlfriend dad!" Ace ranted. Kuma walked backwards at Ace's outburst. The last part had really got to him since he hadn't known Ace had someone he's in love with already.
"Ace, I didn't know. If I had known the-----" Kuma was cut off.
"Don't even dare try to lie to yourself! You and I know damn well that despite having a girlfriend of her status wouldn't satisfy you! You still make this whole fucking engagement situation happen!" Ace said. Kuma had no words to retaliate with as he knew he was right. When choosing things such as political and economic power compared to family, Kuma had always went with tending to his business and expansion. He's never taken in account of the feelings of Ace nor his wife who stuck by and supported him since the beginning of his ascension.
"Tsk, can't even make an attempt to deny it. I suggest you leave me alone for the night before you make thing get worse." Ace muttered as he walked into his bathroom and slammed the door shut. Kuma walked out into the hallway and stood there for a moment as he could here the shower running water in silhouette to his guilt sinking to his stomach.
A/N: For the record, I've combined these two chapters to speed towards Goku Black arc a bit if you don't mind.