Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Akira Toriyama does and this will hold true for the whole story.

Author's note: This takes place after the GT saga

Song by Keane

I walked across and empty land

I knew the pathway like the back of my hand

I felt the earth, beneath my feet

Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing where have you gone

I'm getting old and I need something to rely on

So tell me when you're gonna let me in

I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

Alone. That was the only way Trunks could describe how his life had been since he had spent that long-ago summer with Miyuki. Since then, he had a string of short relationships, mostly one-night stands. Women fell at his feet, but most of them only because of his social position as the young, handsome, and very wealthy CEO of Capsule Corporation. Trunks took advantage of his lofty status to the fullest and with as many women as possible. Even so, none of them could compare to the one woman who remained in his blood.

Seven years had passed since he said good-bye to her—seven long and lonely years. He had been on many adventures since then, even saving the earth at one point, but he never truly got over her, no matter how hard he tried.

Thanks to their mutual Capsule Corporation connections, he saw her regularly via closed-circuit meetings and talked to her many times on conference calls. Several times during these meetings, he would catch himself drifting off from the on-going conversations to stare at her image on the video screen as she spoke. He rarely was able to concentrate when she was making one of her presentations. Also, he had endless email exchanges with her regarding their shared business concerns, but those never evolved into anything beyond standard shoptalk.

For Trunks, it was as if she had erased the memory of their short time together from her memory. Miyuki had achieved her goal, becoming a powerhouse of drive and determination and putting the North American branch on the map. She was undeniably the biggest asset the company had—she could probably even do his job better than him. But as long as he held the last name of "Briefs", Trunks would be the one destined to run the company.

Sitting at his desk high above the city, he flicked the pen in his hand and read through the endless forms that needed his approvals and signatures. Finally tiring of reading the same line over five times, he put down his paper and pen and leaned back in his office chair. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes.

"Mr. Briefs?" inquired a feminine voice from the intercom speaker. "There is a woman here to see you."

Trunks looked at the speaker and sighed. "Tell her I am very busy and can't be disturbed," he replied in an irritated tone.

There was no immediate reply. Trunks figured the silence meant that his secretary was discretely getting rid of whoever it was so he went back to trying to read the invoices.

"Mr. Briefs, I'm sorry to bother you," came the secretary's voice again. "Your visitor said to tell you that Miyuki He of the North American division is here to see you. She was very insistent on talking to you."

Trunks opened his eyes wide as he looked at the speaker. Could it really be her right outside his door after all this time? Was she here on business, or did she come to see him? "Give me five minutes and then let her in," was Trunks' response.

"Yes, sir." And the intercom went dead.

Trunks jumped up from his chair, grabbed his suit jacket, and ran into his private bath. Looking at himself in the mirror, he combed his hair quickly and brushed his teeth. He straightened his tie and collar, put on his jacket, stared at his reflection for a second or two, then took the jacket back off again before scurrying back into the office. With a good minute or so remaining, he began to pace back and forth. He had rehearsed in his head all the things he would say to her if they ever met again face-to-face, but none of the practiced phrases were coming to mind. It was as if he was eighteen again and going on his first date. "Why does she do this to me?" he said out loud.

"I am sending her in now, Mr. Briefs," said the secretary's voice over the intercom.

"Thanks," replied Trunks, positioning himself behind his desk with his back to the door.

Miyuki opened the door and entered the president's office. She took a deep breath. The first thing she spotted was his lavender hair. As she slowly walked into the office, Trunks turned to face her. "Hi," said Miyuki.

Trunks smiled. "Ms. He," he replied formally. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" He could have kicked himself for how stupid he sounded! He had a million questions he wanted to ask her, but that seemed like the most appropriate one to start with.

"I came in person because I have something important to give to you," she stated simply. She sat down in one of his office chairs, opened her briefcase, and pulled out a large, manila envelope. She looked at it for a second, then looked up into his face and held the envelope out to him, saying, "Here."

He took the envelope from her hand, while also taking a good look at her. These days, Miyuki wore her brown hair at shoulder-length and she was dressed in a tailored business suit. The trendy, dangly earrings that she had once favored were long gone, replaced by simple, yet elegant jeweled studs. Her smile was still dazzling, though. Trunks sat down at his desk and sliced open the sealed envelope with a dagger-shaped letter opener. He pulled out the printed document and began reading. By the time his eyes scanned the last line, his face had turned to shock. "What the hell is this?" he asked.

"It is my letter of resignation," replied Miyuki softly. She put her briefcase on the floor and looked at him again. "I can't do this anymore."

"But I…we need you! You are the backbone of this company! I can't run it without you!"

"Yes, you can, Trunks."

"So, that's it? You just hand me this letter with no explanation and expect me to just let you go?"

"If you want an explanation, then just ask me for one. You don't have to get all dramatic about it!" she snapped.

Trunks blinked in surprise. He wasn't used to anyone talking back to him this way. Most of his associates cowered whenever he became demanding. On top if it all, having her here and so close was making him feel as though he was making a total idiot of himself. He hadn't felt like this in such a long time-seven years to be exact—and he needed to regain control. Trunks took a deep breath and put on his business face. "Okay. Would you please give me an explanation, Miss He?"

She twisted her lips into an annoyed grimace. "So, we are going to be formal now, are we? Alright, Mr. Briefs, let's start from the top. I am burned out. Last month, I just turned thirty years old and am still waiting for my life to start. I miss my home and my friends. Recently, I found my birth mother who I haven't seen since I was six." She paused to catch a sighing breath. "These past years, I have given my all to this company and I just can't do it anymore."

"So, you don't even want your old job back?" said Trunks in desperation.

"No. I've given it a lot of thought and what I really want is to start over with my own business. I am not quite sure what, yet, but I do know that I need to start living my life instead of watching it fly by." She looked down at her hands and bit her lip.

Trunks looked at her as she sat with her eyes downcast. Some of what she had just said finally registered in his brain and his look softened. "You found your mother? How did you find her?" he asked.

Looking up at him, she replied, "I hired a private detective. Turns out she lives pretty close to here. I probably passed her by on the street any number of times and wouldn't even have recognized her. The private eye was able to obtain her number and, once I made contact, the two of us talked on the phone several times before actually meeting in person. I have been in town for a week now trying to decide what to do next. After spending time with her and being back home, I felt the time was right for me to give you my resignation."

"Was she happy to see you?" questioned Trunks as he got up from his chair and came around the desk. He leaned back against the desk directly across from her.

"Yes! She was ecstatic! All this time, I believed that she skipped out on my father and me, but then I learned the truth. It was my father that drove her away. She wanted to take me with her, but he wouldn't allow it. Even though she wasn't permitted contact with me, she told me that she followed my career, but never came forward to tell me who she was, afraid I would reject her after all of these years. She cried when we finally met." Miyuki smiled with slightly misty eyes, as she thought about their first face-to-face meeting. "We look a lot alike."

"She must be beautiful then," stated Trunks, looking directly into her eyes.

Miyuki turned her gaze down to her hands again, strangely embarrassed by his compliment. "Anyway, I wanted to deliver that to you personally—since you are my boss and all," she said with a small grin.

"Have lunch with me," suggested Trunks.

"Do you really think that is such a good idea?" asked Miyuki, with a wide-eyed look.

"Just to discuss business, of course," pointed out Trunks as he crossed his arms.

She flashed him her most dazzling smile. "Oh yeah, right. I guess it would be okay then." Picking up her briefcase, she turned toward the door, while Trunks, on the other hand, headed for the window. She turned back and eyed him with confusion on her face. "Sorry, I thought you meant right now."

"I did. I prefer to go out this way," he said pointing to the window.

"Don't you need to tell your secretary where you are going?" she asked.

"I never do. She's used to it."

Miyuki shook her head at him. No wonder his secretary could never tell her if he was in his office whenever she called to talk to him—he never was. "I prefer to stay on the ground, thank you."

"Suit yourself," he said, a little disappointed. He picked up his suit jacket and followed her out the office door. "I'll be out of the office for a while," he announced to his secretary, who looked at him with a shocked expression. "This is a business lunch. Miss He happens to be the vice-president of our North American branch."

"A pleasure to meet you Miss He. I thought that was who you were, but one never knows with Mr. Briefs. So many strange women show up here, asking to see him…oh, I guess I shouldn't have said that!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it." He was actually glad she said it because it might have made Miyuki a little jealous. "Don't expect me back for the rest of the afternoon," he stated with authority.

"Yes, sir," replied the secretary, blushing a little under his stern look.

Miyuki bit her lip as they walked out of the office down the hallway. "Are you always that mean to your secretary?" she finally asked while they stood waiting for the executive elevator.

"Well, for a while I had a new one just about every week, but this latest one seems to have lasted a while. She puts up with me," Trunks answered breezily, shrugging his broad shoulders for emphasis. Miyuki again shook her head. Nowthat was hardly a corporate secret. In fact, it was the biggest running joke circulating throughout all levels of Capsule Corp. Just about everyone in the company knew of the president's indiscretions with his secretaries. "Mom found this one and gives her some kind of bonus every time she threatens to quit. Besides, she's not my type," he added with a smirk.

At that disclosure, Miyuki kept silent and rolled her eyes as they entered the elevator. When the doors hissed open on the main floor, the sounds of the busy first-floor office before them quickly died away. She couldn't help noticing that several young girls poked their heads out of their offices to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous CEO of Capsule Corp, while others "prairie-dogged" over their cubicle partitions. Like a member of royalty, Trunks nodded to them and smiled pleasantly as the two of them walked by. Miyuki was beginning to get a good picture of what the president really spent his time doing within these walls, besides conducting business.

The company limousine was waiting for them when they got outside the front door. The limo driver opened the door for them and the pair got in. "Where to, sir?" asked the driver over his shoulder as he settled himself behind the wheel.

"My favorite restaurant," replied Trunks, sitting back in the seat and putting his arms behind his head. It became obvious to Miyuki that handling all the attention and prestige of came with being president was no problem for Trunks. But she could also see that he was not as adept at the actual running of the company as he ought to be.

As the limo approached the restaurant, Miyuki watched as a number of people quickly scrambled about the front entrance, obviously recognizing the car and who was in it. The driver smoothly pulled up to the awning-covered walkway, got out, and opened the door for the pair in the back seat. They were immediately greeted by a fawning maitre d' and he escorted them to the best table in the place. The maitre d' pulled the chair out for Trunks first, and then for Miyuki. "Your usual, Mr. Briefs?"

"That's fine. What would you like, Miss He?" asked Trunks looking at her eyes.

"Water with a slice of lemon is fine for me," replied Miyuki. The maitre d' nodded courteously to both of them and left. Once they were alone, she sat back in her chair and looked coolly at Trunks. "So, what did you want to talk about, Mr. Briefs?"

"You can stop calling me that now," Trunks responded in a cordial, but business-like tone. "You still remember my first name, don't you?" Trunks could hardly believe he was sitting with her! On the inside, he was doing back-flips, but he preferred to play it cool and detached on the outside. There were a million questions floating around in his head that he wanted to ask of her.

The waiter came back with their drinks and they ordered lunch. There was an awkward silence between them after the waiter left, neither one wanting to ask the questions that they had of each other. Finally, Miyuki spoke up, "So, how have you been…Trunks?"

"Fine. How about you?" He had been anything but fine, but didn't want her to know that without her, he had been unbearably lonely.

"How do you like running the company?" asked Miyuki, ignoring his question.

"Hate it." Trunks could feel the tension hanging like a stone between them, but he could play this game just as well as she could. His skills at manipulation had improved greatly since taking the president's job. "How do you like working for me?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and frowned. "Hate it," came out of her mouth in a nasty tone before she could stop it. Miyuki didn't want to sit and make inane small talk with him for the next hour or so. What she really wanted to do was smack him across his arrogant face for all the aggravation he'd put her through and with which she had to deal since he took over the company, but managed to restrain herself.

"Is it that bad?" he asked with surprise and regret in his voice. His facial features softened as he glanced at her.

Not swayed one bit by his apologetic look, she returned his stare right into his eyes. "Well, if you call doing all the work and getting none of the credit an accomplishment, then things are just bloody peachy!" she declared sarcastically.

"That's not true! I was always aware that you were doing all the work. You single-handedly made the North American branch what it is today!"

"If you knew that, then why did you sit on your hands and let Mitsu take all the credit? He is a fool!" Her anger and bitterness was more than obvious as she spoke of her superior. "Or, was this just your oh-so-subtle way of getting back at me for leaving you?"

Trunks opened his eyes wide when her words were spoken. He never intended to hurt her. "I don't know what you are talking about. I had no idea—!"

"You had no idea because you have been and continue to be oblivious as to what's really been going on right under your nose, preferring instead to do whateveryou want to do, whenever you want to do it. And to hell with the rest of us, who sacrifice everything to keep this company afloat! Don't think for one second that I haven't kept track of what you have been doing…you know what? This was a huge mistake!" She started to get up from her chair to leave.

Trunks grabbed her hand tightly and forcibly turned her to face him. "Don't leave. Please?" he pleaded with her. Perhaps his lack of recognition for her efforts had initially been out of spite, but until that moment he hadn't begun to realize what a fool he truly had been. All of this time, she was the one who had kept the company together, and he just let her do it, never acknowledging her accomplishments.

She looked at him with contempt filling her features. She almost started screaming at him, but just gritted her teeth, once she realized that the other diners were beginning to stare at them. Instead of making a scene, she slowly sat back down at the table. "It is high time for you to start actually running Capsule Corp., Trunks," she said in a low, angry voice. "Without me around as your safety net, you will have no choice in the matter. I am doing this as much for you as for me because I never stopped caring about you, even when I hated you."

Everything clicked at that moment for Trunks. It was not Miyuki who had willingly erased him from her memory—he had been the one to cause her to hate him. He had used her all these years to cover his shirking his responsibilities. "I will fire Mitsu this afternoon and make you president. Better yet, you can have my job."

"No, Trunks. I don't want to be president. As of today, I am through working for you and Capsule Corp. I want to enjoy my life. I have a real family now. I want to take time to get to know my mom and maybe someday get married and have a child. This decision didn't come easily for me, Trunks. I did a lot of soul-searching in the last year. When I reached a point that made me feel as if all I wanted to do was get drunk, I knew then that it was time to move on, to make a drastic change. I haven't touched a drop of alcohol for seven years, since our summer together. You are the only person who makes me want to drink, and that is just not good for me."

Timidly, the waiter approached the table with their lunch. Trunks turned to face him and, seeing the food in his hand, motioned for him to come over. He also noticed several people staring at them with wide-eyed expressions. The waiter placed the food on the table and quickly left. Trunks looked down at his food, not knowing what to say next.

"This is not a good place for us to be having this conversation," said Miyuki. She, too, had noticed the expressions on the nosy patrons surrounding them.

"Yeah, you're right," replied Trunks. He made an attempt to eat, but each bite got caught in his throat and felt like a rock falling into his stomach. "Where are you staying?" he finally managed to ask.

"At a hotel. I decided not to stay at the corporate suites since I wasn't going to be with the corporation much longer," she replied, matter-of-factly.

"You are really serious about this? You really want to give up all the money and power that this company has given to you?" This statement was his last ditch effort to get her to change her mind, forgetting for the moment that when Miyuki had made up her mind, there was no changing it. She would go to the ends of the earth to make what she wanted happen.

She looked up from her untouched plate, disgusted by his remark. She forcefully threw her napkin at his face and got up from her seat. "I am leaving. Don't try to manipulate me like you do everyone else in this company. I am not one of your puppets!"

Trunks watched her storm out of the restaurant. "Boy, did I royally screw that up!" he groaned out loud. He motioned for the waiter to bring him the check and paid for the uneaten lunch. He exited the restaurant and asked the maitre d' where Miyuki had gone. He told Trunks that she had gotten a taxi and, as she'd gotten into the vehicle, he'd overheard her tell the driver to take her to the Satan City Suites. As soon as he heard that, Trunks told his limo driver to take the rest of the day off, and took flight to find her at the hotel.

Author's note: OK, what do you think? Is this what you thought would happen? Please review.