The Super Saiyan Girl

EP. 18 - Growth

The following day, Niya was still in a deep slumber when Trunks awoke. His arms were wrapped protectively around her cool body. He couldn't help but wonder why she was always cold. He could hear her steady breathing, and it made him happy to know that she was sleeping peacefully.

Reluctantly and cautiously, Trunks slipped his arms away and sat up, making sure Niya was still asleep before standing. He figured he'd let her rest, so he slipped on his boots, discarded his ripped gloves, and made his way back into the void.

☆

When Trunks returned, he was taken aback to find Niya still asleep in bed. About a whole day had passed since she had fallen asleep. He felt concerned, but he knew that when Niya used too much of the Red Jewel's power, she was excessively drained. She needed to rest.

Trunks sighed and went over to Niya’s bedside. She had moved a lot in her sleep, something he had noticed she did when she was truly exhausted. Her hair had frizzed up, and she was somewhat curled up, clutching onto a pillow, while her legs were hanging over the edge of the bed. Her tail was curled up next to her, however, it twitched often in her sleep, jerking from one side to the other. She was having a nightmare. The tight expression on her face confirmed it. Trunks pulled her legs back into the bed before standing. 

Trunks went to take a quick shower before returning to Niya’s bed. His heart ached to see that Niya was digging her face into the pillow, her body tense with pain. He sat beside her, then tried to pull the pillow away. She held firm onto it, and eventually, with the tugging, the pillow began to rip. 

Trunks then thought of a new strategy. “Hey,” he gently began, placing a hand on her shoulder, “You’re okay.” He rubbed her shoulder, along to trying to soothe her with his voice, to get her to calm down and maybe even wake up. Slowly, Niya’s body began to relax. The tension and nightmares made her breathing jagged, and it began to slow down into almost deep breaths.

“Good,” Trunks smiled, despite her not being able to see. “You’re safe. I…,” he paused, “I’m with you, just like I promised. I haven’t left your side.”

A few moments later, Niya’s grip on the pillow began to loosen. Trunks took the opportunity to pull the pillow away and set it off to the side. 

“Hey,” Trunks tried to flatten down some of her hair, pulling it behind her ears. “Can you sit up for me?” 

It seemed that Niya’s eyes were trying to open, but she didn’t have enough strength to do so. 

“Here, I’ll help you,” Trunks assured her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her so she could sit up against the wall. He grabbed the balled up blanket and wrapped it around her. “I’ll be right back.”

After a while, Trunks returned with a bowl of what seemed like beef stew. "Here," he scooped up a piece of potato with some soup, "it might not be very good, but you need to eat." He held the spoon close to her lips. She seemed to sniff the spoon before, eyelids still heavy, spreading her lips just a bit.

Trunks was relieved and managed to feed her the soup. He was glad that the person he loved would be making a quick recovery.

× × ×

It was true. Two days later, Niya was back on her feet, ready to train.

"You sure you're ready?" Trunks asked once more.

"Yep!" Niya smiled. "I feel great! I could totally take you on right now!" She smirked and playfully punched him across the jaw.

Trunks chuckled but matched her smirk, "I wouldn't get ahead of myself if I were you. You should train a bit before you even think of challenging me again."