Summary: All she saw that night was a flash of blue, before he was in the wind. When he returned, she could only wonder why he was so closed off. But every now and then, she'd catch glimpses of him when his guard was down. What she saw worried her. He was a noble guardian, a silent protector, and above all, a man in pain. A lone warrior, seeking absolution.

I thought of this idea just recently. I'm not quite sure how long this story will be. I suppose it depends on its reception. I've never really seen a fic like this in the Dragonball archive, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT, or Dragonball Super. Since this disclaimer is kind of long, I'll just post it once and have faith that you'll all remember.

Chapter 1: Back From the Dystopian Apocalypse

The first time she caught sight of him, she wondered if he'd even been there. She was on her way back to the trailer they'd stolen after leaving to collect her thoughts. She'd been annoyed with her brother for some reason she couldn't quite recall now. All of his petty grievances blended together after a while, leaving her to often forget what she was angry about these days. It didn't help that she hated this way of life. She was a city girl. She had been before they were orphaned, and she always would be. And yet here she was, living in a trailer with her twin brother, who somehow found it in himself to enjoy the lifestyle that she so abhorred.

She knew she shouldn't complain. They couldn't afford to live in the city. She was lucky her brother was as resourceful as he was. She knew that. That didn't stop her from growing more and more irritable with every passing week. She sighed. She should apologize to her brother for snapping at him earlier. He was just being himself, trying to make the best of their situation. None of this was his fault.

So here she was, wandering back through the woods towards the trailer in the dead of night. If she were any other girl, this situation might unease her. But she didn't frighten easily. Although she'd prefer not to run into a bear, she knew she could take care of herself should the situation arise. Nevertheless, she quickened her pace.

That was when she saw him. Passing by a grouping of dense foliage, the slightest movement caught her eye. She turned to find a young man standing beside a tree, his hand resting against the trunk, and his eyes staring right into hers. It was hard to see his features through the darkness, but he could just make out a pair of calm, blue eyes, and a flash of hair the same color.

She immediately stiffened. While she knew she could handle herself, she recognized the situation as an unfavorable one should this random passerby turn out to be hostile. And in her experience, most people were.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Do you want something?"

The young man's only response was to tilt his head to the side as he continued to observe her. She grew slightly annoyed at his lack of an answer. She was about to ask again, but she stopped as she noticed the look that manifested in his eyes. His blue orbs shown with a sadness beyond her comprehension as he continued to stare at her unnervingly. Before she could even begin to puzzle out this reaction, he was gone. She blinked, having not seen a single trace of movement. One second he was there, and the next...it was as if he'd never even been there to begin with. Shaking her head, she mumbled something about needing sleep and continued her walk back to the trailer.

It was nearly a week before she ran into him again. This time, she knew she wasn't imagining things. She had just woken up and exited their mobile home, groaning with discontent (she wasn't a morning person), when her brother's voice startled her to full lucidity.

"Sis, we've got company," Lapis said, without even turning his head to look at her. Curious, Lazuli followed his gaze up to a nearby tree, and sure enough, a familiar mess of blue hair could be recognized. The man was sitting on a branch, arms crossed and one leg hanging off into the air.

She narrowed her eyes. "You again?"

Her brother looked at her curiously. "You know this guy?"

"Not really. But he seems to know us."

"That's a bit creepy," he said bluntly.

Although he had yet to say anything, the two twins thought they saw a flash of what looked to be embarrassment on his face, before any trace of it was gone.

"Mind coming down from there, friend?" her brother requested with a smirk. "I promise we don't bite."

To her surprise, the stranger obliged, hopping down from the branch in one quick motion and landing effortlessly on the ground. It was a bit unnerving that his eyes never left them.

"What do you want from us?" she asked, getting to the point. There had to be a reason why this guy was stalking them.

For the first time, he opened his mouth, and three words came out. "You're in danger."

The simple statement puzzled the two. Either this guy knew something they didn't, or he had no idea what he was talking about.

"I appreciate the concern, but I doubt that," Lapis replied, waving his hand dismissively. "The two of us can handle anything life throws at us."

The kid was silent, but it wasn't difficult to surmise that he disagreed. While her brother frowned at the lack of an answer, Lazuli rolled her eyes. Lapis liked to think there was no one who could challenge them. It was an easy conclusion to come to, not to mention a comforting one. They were getting stronger every day, and the tricks they'd learned recently were pretty useful. Still, she couldn't help but think back to that day a month ago. Two hostile aliens had quite literally fallen from the sky, before effortlessly leveling an entire city. Later in the day, they had made quick work of the World Government's army, as if it was child's play. Lazuli knew that she and her brother were strong, but she wasn't so arrogant as to believe they'd stand a chance against forces like that. The world had suddenly gotten so much bigger.

It wasn't long before Lazuli was broken out of her musings. The kid's eyes shifted away from the two siblings as he stared off into the distance, beyond the trees, as if looking for something. His posture straightened, and his fists suddenly clenched.

"Hey, what's with you?" Lapis asked. "You're a pretty weird guy. Do you always act like this? You still haven't told us who you are, you know? And what are you staring at?"

His question was soon answered as a wind picked up in the small clearing. The twins both turned their heads and saw a figure floating in the air above them. It was an old man with long white hair and a scowl etched on his face. The old man surveyed the two of them before his eyes drifted towards the blue haired kid standing across from them, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, subjects 17 and 18, we finally meet. And it seems you have company," the old man chuckled.

The two teens stared at him, one in bemusement and one the other in wariness.

"And another weirdo shows up," Lapis said with narrowed eyes. "Who the hell are you old man, and did you really just call us subjects? Get out of here before you get hurt."

The old man merely laughed again, making Lazuli's skin crawl for some reason. "Not to worry. You'll catch my meaning soon enough," he said, before he disappeared from their sight.

What happened next, the two twins could barely follow. The old man was standing a few inches away from Lapis, one hand extended out in a chop that had never reached him. Lapis and Lazuli watched with wide eyes as the old man's hand was held firmly in the bluehead's grip. He was giving the old man a heated glare as the latter struggled in vain to free his hand, before the appendage was swiftly and roughly detached from the rest of his arm. The old man jumped back and stared in shock, as the siblings did the same, albeit for different reasons. Where they would have expected to see blood and veins, instead the severed arm dripped oil from a jumble of disconnected wires.

Lapis' eyes were wide. "What the hell is he?"

Lazuli was deathly silent.

"Who–who are you?" the old man mumbled, staring at his new adversary in fear.

The man smirked in response. "You mean you don't remember me? I paid your other subjects a little visit just the other week." He spoke the word "subjects" with disgust. If possible, the old man's eyes widened further.

"You! You're the one who destroyed my lab!" he shouted angrily.

"Hope I didn't set you back too far," the man replied with an air of insincerity.

The old man suddenly calmed as he glared at the one who had interfered with his plans. "It matters not. I don't know how you found my lab, but it can be rebuilt once I acquire 17 and 18. Once they've been built, no one will stand in my way, especially not punks like you who don't know what they're up again—!"

The old man was cut off as the bluehead suddenly appeared in front of him, with one arm shoved through his chest cavity. The old man coughed as his internal organs and components alike failed him. The man swiftly removed his arm, causing the old man to clutch as his chest, before he ripped off the man's head, which landed in front of the two siblings, still screaming in pain.

Lapis stared at the live head blankly. "I was not ready for today."

"I don't think either of us were," Lazuli replied, her voice trembling slightly.

The man proceeded to send an energy blast at the severed head, causing it to erupt in smoke.

There was silence in the clearing as the two twins absorbed what had just occurred.

"Ok, no really, what the hell is going on here?" Lapis asked. "Who the hell was that guy?"

The blueheaded man turned towards the two, causing them both to stiffen. For a moment he gave them both an intense stare, before a sad smile broke out across his face.

"That was Dr. Gero. Mad scientist, wanted to take over the world and all that. You know the story," he said.

Lapis raised an eyebrow, relaxing slightly now that the man had started speaking like a normal person rather than standing there and staring as if he was deciding their fates.

"Yeah, maybe from some dystopian apocalypse movie," he replied, not knowing how close to home his words struck as the bluehead held in a wince. Dystopian apocalypse. Well, that was his life wasn't it?

"That doesn't explain what Dr. Doom wanted with the two of us," Lazuli said, bringing the conversation back on track.

The bluehead looked saddened. "I'm not sure you want to know."

Lazuli's eyes narrowed. "I think we do. We appreciate the help, but I think we can handle the truth."

The man sighed. "I assume the reason he was after you two because of your isolation and your partial mastery of ki. He wanted you for his plans of wiping out humanity."

Lazuli felt a chill go down her spine. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "If he'd succeeded...if you hadn't stopped him…what would have happened to us?" Lapis adopted a grim look, not liking where this conversation was going.

The man hesitated. "You would have been turned into cyborgs, and most likely programmed to destroy the human race," he finally answered.

"Holy shit," Lapis whispered. "Is that what he did to himself? Turned himself into a cyborg?"

The man nodded. "It was a patch job though. After I destroyed his lab, he realized someone was onto him and rushed the process just so he could acquire you two."

"Ok, what a freak," Lazuli couldn't help but comment. "That means he's been stalking us for God knows how long."

The man looked sheepish. "Sorry about before. I...was able to figure out who he was after when I destroyed his lab, and I wanted to make sure he didn't get to you."

Lapis shrugged. "I'm sure we could have handled it, but thanks I guess."

Lazuli rolled her eyes at her brother's blind confidence, before giving the man a small smile. "Thank you," she said. Looking a bit uncomfortable, he merely nodded.

"So what do we call you, friend?" Lapis asked cheerfully.

The man hesitated. He seemed to need to think for a moment before answering, which didn't escape their notice. Did he not want them to know his name?

"Trunks," the man answered finally.

A/N: I can't believe I just started another fanfiction. But screw it, I couldn't get this idea out of my head. I hope you enjoyed this so far.