AN: Ok this is a dragonball fic that will take place in an alternate version of the miri timeline. This is my first fic and I would appreciate any constructive criticism. In a disclaimer I donot own any rights to the characters used in this story and all credit must be directed toward the original minds behind the DragonBall franchise. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy DBAU: A Change of Heart
Chapter 1
No Death Unaccounted For
Gohans body ached and bled as he raced toward his young apprentice. The young teen stood frozen in a mixture of shock and fear as he watched the androids powerful ki blasts racing towards him. 17 and 18s maniacal laughter filled the empty structures of the abandoned amusement park. " TRUNKS GET DOWN!" the sound of Gohan's voice quickly caught the attention of android 18. As she turned around she quickly raised her guard only to find that the demi-saiyan had given up a perfect chance for an ambush to dive in front of the less superior warrior and take the bulk force of her and her brothers blasts. 17s laughter became even louder as he watched the foolish warrior save the young boy " What a FOOL! He sacrificed his own body to save that little twerp. This is why the earthlings must be exterminated, they are nothing more than an incompetent sickness on this planet." The blonde android floated in the air in somewhat of a daze. She had witnessed death more times than she could or cared to remember but this was different. All of the other people she had seen do these ridiculous things were weak and stupid by her standards but Gohan was not. He had fought her and her brother for years and always put up a fight while managing to give them the slip every time, no he was not like the rest of the earthlings. An idiot could not have escaped her and 17s wrath for so many years on luck alone. These thoughts continued to race through her mind until her brothers voice finally pulled her back to reality " Sis!...Hellooo? are you in there?" 18 quickly shook the thoughts from her mind and pushed a lock of her pale blonde hair behind her ear " Yes Im here you idiot where else would I be." 17 smiled at his sisters harsh tone " Good I was beginning to wonder. I say we turn this whole area into ash. You know if we don't we will only have to fight him again next time and he is getting stronger." 18 nodded in agreement and extended her hands out in front of her " Lets get this over with. I just want to go home".
Gohan's eyes slowly opened as he let out a loud painful grunt as he attempted to move. " Mom he is awake!" Trunks and Bulma quickly rushed into the room where Gohan had been for the past couple days " Theres no way! The doctor said he wouldn't be awake for at least another couple of days! Don't let him get up Trunks!" after several minutes of arguing Gohan managed to get himself back to his feet " I don't have time to rest guys not with the androids out there. Every moment i waste allowing myself to be confined to this bed innocent people die and I won't have that..I can't have that." As he clinched his fist his eyes flickered a deep shade of turquoise. His last battle with the androids had left him badly beaten and scarred but his warrior spirit was more alive than ever. Bulma watched as the once innocent child she had met so many years ago stood in front of her with the same intensity on his face that his father had so many times before" Gohan..You look and act more like your father everyday. Nothing I ever said would stop him from trying to help innocent people and you are just the same." The aging beauty gave the young man a soft smile " Do what you have to do Gohan but please be careful..You are all Tunks and I have left after all." Gohan raise his arm and rubbed the back of his head " Thanks Bulma. I just want to make him proud and protect these people like he would have tried to. Speaking of Trunks Bulma I would like to begin training him more intensely." Trunks's eyes lit up as he heard his sudo brother propose further training to his mother but his smile began to fade as his mother quickly shot down the idea " absolutely not gohan! He is only 14 years old! You are a grown man and a super saiyan and you can't stop the androids what makes you think I am going to let my son go and let himself be killed. If it wasn't for you he would have died the last time and I don't think we should test our luck again.." Gohan cut the pleading woman short in an effort to get his two cents in " Bulma I need to train him..He needs to be there when I am not. I am not as well suited for the job as I was before…" His now sad onyx eyes traveled to the empty sleeve that dangled where his left arm once was. " The earth is going to need him Bulma and I know he can put an end to this with the proper training. Maybe when this is all said and done we can make another trip to namek and wish everyone back." Bulma sighed loudly as she attempted to hold back her tears " why do you always have to be right Gohan…"
18 sat on a pile of rubble as she watched her brother chase a group of humans in one of their ridiculous vehicles. She hadn't felt up to the task of tormenting the people since her last encounter with their blonde friend and his little friend. She couldn't shake the thought of him tossing himself in front of that blast and for some reason it bothered her " Why in the world would he do that. He gave up everything to try and save that kid and all it did was get them both killed…" As she sat deep in thought she could hear her brother calling her name from the distance. " Hey! 18! come on and lets see who can kill the most the fastest!" 17 never seemed to grow tired of tormenting the earthlings which often allowed his sister to do as she pleased. " Come on 18 you never want to do anything fun anymore..Loosen up toots you have been weird since we killed that pain in the ass and his annoying little helper the other day." 18 twitched slightly at her brothers comments " Call me toots again and Ill kill you myself 17...Do what you want but im done for the day." the blonde beauty blasted off into the air and towards the place they were calling their home. " FINE! BE THAT WAY!...Girls" 17 shook his head from side to side in frustration before letting go of a blast that reduced the city to nothing more than a charred patch of dirt.
Dirt and dust flew through the air as Gohans apprentice gathered his energy. The teen dug as deep as he could but he just couldn't push himself past the threshold and into the super saiyan state " Come on Trunks think about all of the pain that the androids have inflicted on you and the people you love. Think about all of the people they have slaughtered and still plan on killing" Trunks could feel the pain swelling in his heart as he thought of his mother and the people he had seen die at the hands of the heartless machines and then the thought of Gohan's arm and his bloodied body floated into his memory. The young demi-saiyans hair quickly spiked and his eyes flashed a bright shade of turquoise " Thats it Trunks you're doing it! your…" Before Gohan could finish encouraging his brother Trunks collapsed in a heap on the ground. " Ok Trunks that is enough for today. You are doing well lets get you home before your mother comes looking for me" both warriors began to laugh and headed back to the safety of capsule corp. Bulma, Trunks and Gohan sat at the dining room table exchanging happy tales from the past as they ate their meager amount of food. These little meetings were few and far inbetween but they were always a welcome change in the post apocalyptic world in which they lived. Suddenly a news broadcaster appeared on the tiny television that sat on the kitchen counter " This is a breaking story from channel 3 in Peppertown. The androids have arrived and they are tearing the city apart. If you are out their warrior in orange we beg you please help us!" That was all Gohan had to hear before he stood up and placed his napkin down on his plate. " Gohan I'm going too!" Trunks quickly hopped up from the table ignoring his mother's pleas. " Please Gohan don't let him go with you!" Tears began to fill Bulma's eyes as she watched her young son. Gohan gave Bulma a soft smile before speaking " Im sorry but this is just something I have to do." He then turned to an eager Trunks and gave him a quick but powerful chop to the neck " Please tell him I am sorry Bulma. He is the only hope for this planet after me and I can't risk him. Thank you for everything Bulma." The son of goku raced from the house and blasted off into the sky leaving Bulma to tend to her unconscious son " Thank you Gohan….I don't know how I could ever repay you for what you have done."
A large bulky man threw punch after punch at the young blondes face only to connect with nothing but air. The woman effortlessly dodged the mans blows and smiled before delivering one of her own that instantly separated the man's soul from his body " Now thats more like it sis!" 17 landed beside his sister with an identical smile plastered on his face blood dripping from his hands " First one to 20 wins what do you say?" Before 18 could respond a powerful blow sent her and her brother skidding backwards from the dead mans body. 18 froze as she looked at the man that stood between them and the rest of the people of Peppertown " Its….him but how?" As she stood dumbfounded at Gohans presence 17 wasted no time and charged the saiyan warrior " Don't you ever DIE!?" Gohan smirked as he readied himself for combat. The two warriors began exchanging furious blows while 18 stood still, much as 17 hated to admit it Gohan was holding his own against him even with the absence of his left arm. A swift kick sent 17 soaring through the air and crashing through a nearby van. Gohan landed directly across from the distracted beauty awaiting the next assault. 18 eyed the defiant warrior. Her eyes locked onto his. Her gaze traveled first to his new scar that traveled across the brow of his left eye and onto his cheek. It didn't take long for her to finally reach the most obvious alteration to the Warriors body, The absence of his arm sent a deep sense of regret traveling through her " why do I feel this way? Why am I allowing this to bother me so much" as she wrestled with her thought she allowed the Demi-Saiyan to make his move. Gohan slammed a powerful knee into her belly causing 18 to double over in pain,luckily for the beauty 17 managed to catch him by surprise with a powerful headbutt. Gohan staggered backwards clutching his now bloodied nose " damn it...I can't let them sneak up on me like that or I won't stand a chance..." Gohan spit a wod of blood from his mouth and smiled back at the twins " what's the matter? You guys seem to be alittle distracted today." 17 gritted his teeth as the thorn in his side spoke in his provoking tone "we are just trying to figure out how in the hell you always manage to live but by the looks of your haggard body you barly made it out last time. I'm just curious if your pathetic little friend can say the same." Fury filled the Demi-saiyans eyes, 17 had just added fuel to a fire that was already raging. 18 couldn't bring herself to look at Gohan. Everytime she looked at him an overwhelming feeling of regret filled her up " Let's finish this bastard 18" 18 looked over at her brother and gave a reluctant nod. In an instant the twins began their assault,18 still refusing to directly look at the warrior she was assaulting. The three warriors exchanged powerful blows all across the held his own for awhile but the absence of his arm had put him at to much of a disadvantage against the two of them allowing the duo to overpower him and send him crashing to the ground. Gohan watched helplessly as 17 and 18 flew just over head of him. The barely conscious warrior began to make peace with himself as he took his final breaths, he watched as theyextended their hands and began to charge their ki. "I'm sorry Bulma. I wish I could have held in just a while longer so I could have seen that crazy invention of yours work. trunks...I am most sorry to. You have been like a little brother to me and I hate the thought of leaving you like I did but I always knew this was how it was suppose to be. You will save this world little brother and someday when everything is right again I believe we will see each other again..good bye my friends..."As they began firing their shower of blasts upon the Demi-Saiyan 18 found herself thinking about the Warriors many selfless acts that she had witnessed over the years " I have never seen someone so powerful be so gentle...none of his friends were that way so why was he?..Is this a common thing?...Would anyone ever do that for me?" She quickly pushed the ubsered thoughts from her mind and closed her eyes.The androids ki blasts ripped through Gohans flesh like the blades of a thousand daggers causing his head and legs to bounce wildly against the ground as they struck him. After several moments of blasting, Gohans lifeless body laid at the bottom of a now large crater. A small pool of blood began to form around his stiff cold body. 18 looked down at the fallen warrior with a mix of emotions in her head. As she looked down her eyes traveled to her now shaking hands. A sudden wetness dropped into her palm "what the hell was that?" 18 reached up to her face and felt a steady trail of moisture traveling from her eyes and down her pale cheeks " Am...Am I crying?...why the hell am I crying!?" Without speaking a single word the blonde android blasted off into the sky leaving her raven haired brother standing confused and alone at his sisters sudden retreat.
Trunks slowly began to come around after absorbing Gohan's life saving blow allowing the static sound of the television to ring in his ears " what...happened" he spoke in a groggy strained tone. After a few moments everything began to come flooding back into his memory causing the young teen to jolt to his feet. He frantically scanned the room for some sign of the man he called brother but his gaze only fell on the h red eyes of his mother as she sat quietly sobbing " Mom where is Gohan!?" Bulma's eyes once again began to fill with tears as her son spoke " Trunks you don't understand he had to do this he.." Before she could finish her son had bolted out of the door leaving her all alone inside of the capsule corp compound "you may not understand now Trunks but one day you will. I'm sorry son" Trunks flew through the air as fast as he could manage his lavender hair whipping in his face " why did you do this Gohan!? I can help you!" The distant sight of Pepper Town sent a chill down the young warriors spine, It had been reduced to nothing more than a charred rubble covered shadow of its former self. Rain began to pour and soak everything it touched as Trunks looked around the ruins hoping to find any sign of where his master could be hiding, then his eyes widened as he saw an orange clothed figure lying face down in a half flooded crater " oh please no!..." Trunks quickly moved into the slowly filling crater to find his best friend, pale and bloody the life had seemed to have been ripped from him hours ago. Trunks began to uncontrollably shake as he raised Gohan's body up in his arms. The mixture of blood and water stained the boys clothes and hands as he swelled with grief and anger " Why didn't you let me help you...why Gohan..Wwwhhhyyy!" A bright yellow aura surrounded Trunks as tears began to stream from his now turquoise eyes. The absence of life in the city allowed the boys shrieks to echo for what seemed like miles.