Hope
By: Lazeralk
Dragon Ball Z/NightWalker/Vampire Hunter D/Vampire Princess Miyu/Hellsing
Standard Disclaimers apply
Part 1
Author's notes: This is AU and I screwed the timeline six ways to Sunday. Here's what I changed: Chibi Trunks and Goten havent been born yet. Cell hasn't shown up, and won't either. Piccolo and Kami never fused, Dende was Kami's apprentice and is therefore on Earth. Gohan is nine years old, Mirai Trunks is still in the past and is living with Bulma and her family while he coaches the other Z fighters on beating the Andriods who have just recently surfaced. For the vampires, if you have questions or want to refresh your memory, e-mail me at mayaxdragon(at)yahoo(dot) com and I'll send you pics from whichever series/movie you want and a brief summary.
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He'd done it. He'd finally done it. The Dragon Balls were his, and now he could cleanse the planet of the filth that was killing it. Now he could rid the universe of the curse known as mankind. He cackled with mad delight, laughing hysterically as the sky grew dark and the might dragon Shenron threw back his head and roared.
"Who has summoned me?" he boomed, his majestic voice filling the lunatic with fear and awe.
"I have! My wish is the destruction of this planet! Purify the universe! Destroy the disease known as humans!" the madman howled.
"Your wish is granted." Intoned the dragon solemnly before vanishing in a blinding flash of light.
The madman laughed, even as the world began to shake. The plants shriveled and died, the animals dropped to the ground and didn't move, thousands of people collapsed forever, never knowing what had hit them.
Far above the Earth, atop a splendid tower, Kami screamed and fell to his knees.
"Nooo!" he moaned as his planet shuddered with pain. In one final desperate move to stop the apocalypse, he called for Piccolo.
The younger Namek twitched in irritation, not liking that his afternoon meditation was being disturbed. Goku and Gohan were below him, playing like children in the water beneath his falls. He sat cross-legged, hovering in mid-air with his eyes closed.
-What do you want old man? This had better be good. – he snapped mentally. Suddenly the world trembled and the grass around his own private paradise began to brown and then fade completely, leaving only dirt and rocks behind. The waterfall that had always marked his home, seemed to dry up before his eyes.
-What the hell is going on?! – he demanded of Kami, ignoring the pain he was mentally receiving from his other half.
-Piccolo, someone has made a terrible wish. We must both die, before the power of the dragon destroys the world! Please Piccolo, we haven't much time! – screamed Kami in his head.
"What the…?" he asked aloud, then he dropped into the now shallow pool beneath him in pure shock and agony. His soul felt like it was being ripped out, his whole body wracked with pain.
"Piccolo!" cried Gohan in alarm as he rushed to his mentor's side. Goku swiftly picked his rival up and carefully deposited him on the dry ground, his face glowing with concern.
"Piccolo!" called Gohan again, this time nearly sobbing as he helplessly watched one of his closest friends wither in pain.
"What's happening? What's going on? Piccolo! How do I help you?!" demanded Goku franticly, his mind in a panic.
Piccolo scrunched his eyes closed as he realized what had happened, Kami had killed himself. The world was about to be destroyed because of a wish, and he had to stop it. It wasn't that he cared for the planet that had become his surrogate home, but because of Gohan. He loved the boy as if he were his own son and it pained him more than anything to think of him dead. He nearly screamed as another wave of pain hit him, and he felt the world dying beneath his clawed fingers. He made a reckless choice, screaming out loud.
"Goku! Kill me!"
"What?! Are you crazy?! I could never do that!" shouted the Saiyajin.
"Do it, or the world will be destroyed! Do it now!" he demanded, his pointed nails digging into his chest.
"What's happening?! Why, Piccolo? There has to be some other way!" exclaimed Goku as he pried his friend's fingers away from his bleeding skin.
"No other way! The dragon! Wish! Everything's dying! Kill me, it's the only way!"
Goku's eyes filled with horror at Piccolo's choked explanation. Someone had wished for everything to die? He'd kill the bastard! It wasn't fair, his friend shouldn't have to die like this! They'd only just started battling the Androids. Piccolo was supposed to be there for that!
"Goku! Now!"
Goku snapped to the present, he put his hands on Piccolo's chest, ready to send a ki blast through him. His fingers shook, his head bowed.
"I can't do it. I can't." He said, his shoulders trembling with repressed tears.
"Piccolo." Moaned Gohan, burying his nine-year-old head in his mentor's shoulder, soaking the white cloth with his tears.
"For you Gohan." Gasped Piccolo, fighting for control of his voice.
"For your future, my death is worth it. Be strong. You have to rebuild the world, but I have to die to make sure there's a world left…for you to rebuild. Goku. Don't you dare let this world die you moron. I'd never forgive you." He growled, his whole body quaking, his muscles spasming.
Goku sniffed and shook his head.
"I can't."
"You pitiful excuse for a man! You aren't worthy of being saved! You're…you're a horrible father; you don't even know what your son is doing when he says trig! You just eat all day, you even suck at fighting!" ranted Piccolo, his voice rising maliciously.
"Hey!" said Goku, his eyes narrowing. That was going too far.
"You loser! You can't do anything right! You don't even know how to make ki blasts!" sneered the Namek, rage in his coal black eyes.
"Why you…!" hissed Goku, his aura flaring around him.
The world buckled, mountains toppled, killing millions. Oceans flooded, washing away cities. Volcanoes erupted, earthquakes split the ground, tornadoes ripped apart houses, and hurricanes crumbled buildings. People screamed and the blood flowed freely. The side of a mountain broke away, revealing a black shield underneath. Red lightning crackled across it, the first movement in eons.
Goku's anger clouded brain didn't register what had happened until he heard his son's quiet sobs echoing through the eerie silence. The world wasn't shaking anymore, the storms had dissipated, the volcanoes hissed and died, the oceans quieted. The silence echoed on and on, like a great bell sounding the death toll.
Piccolo's body lay stiff as his green blood seeped from the massive hole in his chest. Goku's eyes widened with disbelief, his breathing came in short halting gasps. He scrambled away from it, his head shaking back and fourth in silent denial.
"NOOOO!!!"
His scream rent the air for miles around before he pulled his son to his chest and rocked back and fourth, tears steaming from his blank and horror-filled eyes.
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Mirai Trunks used one arm to push the slab of concrete off his back. His mother's curled form lay shaking beneath him, terrified but alive. He stared around in shock and sorrow, noting his dismembered time-machine. It looked like his world all over again, everything lying in ruins, the earth brown and dead. Not a single blade of grass was left standing.
"Trunks?" whispered his mother fearfully, clutching his jacket with her right hand. Her other hand was curled protectively against her chest, blood dripping from her fingers.
"Yeah?" he asked, dazed. His eyes scanned the surrounding area for movement, his mind's eye for ki signatures. If this was the work of those damned androids…
"What happened?" she inquired, her voice still breathy and shook.
"I don't know. C'mon, we better find the others." He said, wrapping one arm around her and hauling her to her feet. She winced, but stood on scratched and bruised legs.
The Capsule Corp. Building was nothing but rubble and smoke, a few lingering fires filling the air with ash. Bulma struggled towards it, tripping on rocks and boards.
"Mom! Dad! Vegeta!" she cried, tears dripping down her face as she dug through the debris, searching for her parents and the haughty prince.
Trunks sighed and moved to help her when she'd collapsed for the third time, bloodying her exposed legs even more. He tore through the broken slabs of his house easily, eventually uncovering the bodies of his grandparents. Both were dead, their lifeless hands still clasped together.
Bulma was sobbing, unable to form words as she sat in the wreckage of her home and stared at her parents.
"Mom…" said Trunks, deeply saddened, but more easily accepting of death from his own great losses in his time. He sat next to her and hugged her, not knowing what else to do.
"Arg…" came a voice from what was left of the gravity room. Vegeta pushed pieces of broken equipment off his shoulders and fought to clear his pounding head as he stood.
"What the bloody hell was that?" he asked no one. He frowned as he heard the woman's cries, which only served to make his headache worse. He stomped over to where she sat sobbing in his brat's arms, fully intent on telling her to shut up when he caught sight of the bodies.
His expression darkened as his protective instincts kicked it. Someone had dared to kill his mate's parents. They had hurt her. They would pay.
"We should see what the extent of the damage is." Said Trunks, already slipping back into the mindset of his time, full of noting but survival instincts. They would have to find shelter and secure enough food and water to keep them going until they could move to the next shelter. Hopefully, theirs was the only city that had been targeted.
Vegeta only grunted and took to the air, scanning his widening view. What he saw was not comforting. The land was gray as death, gnarled husks of trees dotting the morbid horizon. Shells of buildings and people alike were strewn about like broken toys.
He let himself come back to the ground, his face set in lines of worry. This was very bad, it now fell to him to make sure his family was all right. Squaring his shoulders, he closed his eyes and reached outwards with his ki, searching for his allies. Kakarot's normally vibrant ki was heavy with despair; Kakarot's brat wasn't looking too good either.
He frowned when he realized that all of the minor ki signatures of the annoying one's that always hung around with Kakarot's were missing. The little bald one, his woman's ex-boyfriend, the green man and the three-eyed man were all gone. Were they dead or hiding or perhaps unconscious? Kakarot would most likely want to find them. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, something that made him uneasy. He wasn't afraid mind you, but worried for his woman's sake. She couldn't defend herself like he and the brat could.
"Let's go. Brat, carry your mother." He ordered, lifting into the air and heading in the direction of Kakarot's ki. For some reason he'd feel better if the other Saiyajin was there to keep an extra eye on her.
Trunks blinked, but silently lifted Bulma's still crying form into his arms and took off. He didn't bother to ask where they were going, it was obvious to him. Bulma sniffed and dried her tears on her son's collar.
"Where are we going?" she asked, trying to tuck her aching legs closer to her body.
"We're going to see Goku mom, and Gohan is with him. Everything will be ok." He told her, praying that he was right.
"Ok." She answered meekly, her shoulder length green hair whipping at her face.
Trunks frowned as he flew, his eyes growing cold and worried as he watched the same bleak landscape pass under him for miles. Was the whole world like this? Were there any people left at all? His ki stretched outward, touching the flickering life force of the dying, and the scattered energies of the living.
There were people left, not many, but some. The world population of about seven billion had been reduced to maybe three or four million. That meant that ninety percent of the population was dead. This wasn't the work of the androids. They couldn't possibly cause this much devastation in such a short amount of time. Something far more catastrophic had happened, but what?
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Goku didn't even feel them coming, one minute he was sitting next to the body of one of his oldest friends, the next Vegeta was yelling at him.
Trunks was standing protectively over Bulma, and Gohan was still clinging to the front of his shirt like he'd never let go.
"Kakarot! Are you even listening to me?!" growled Vegeta, hands on his hips.
"What?" he asked numbly, prying his eyes away from Piccolo.
"What happened Kakarot? Do you even know?" demanded the prince.
"Someone. Don't know who. Someone wished for the end of the world." He said, hugging his son tighter.
"What? What kind of moron would do that?"
"Piccolo told me to kill him. Kami committed suicide. The dragon balls are gone. The wish stopped before it could finish. I killed Piccolo. I can't believe I killed Piccolo." Mumbled Goku as he sniffed, tears still tracing lines down his face.
Vegeta didn't speak for a long time, and Trunks sighed sadly as he offered a prayer to whatever god was left for the souls of his friends, both living and dead.
"We have to find or build some kind of shelter, figure out what we're going to do about food and water too. Survival first, revenge later." Said Trunks quietly. He'd already gone through this before, already faced each new day in a war torn world. Suddenly he collapsed to his knees, his face drawn with pain. The time-machine had been damaged beyond repair and he'd never see his mother as he knew her again. He couldn't ever go home and save his own world from the androids. He'd never kneel at Gohan's grave again, or go to Aunt Chi-Chi's for lunch. The dragon balls were gone. He was trapped here, for good.
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Deep in the ancient halls of a giant castle, ruled by an ancient king, a man opened his eyes for the first time in millennia. He gathered what little strength he had and pushed at the lid of his coffin, taking a shattering gulp of air as he hissed with hunger, his fangs glinting in the darkness.
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Goku, the shock beginning to wear off, wiped at his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to be strong now, for Gohan and Bulma.
"How bad is it?" he asked, running his fingers through Gohan's thick hair comfortingly.
"Ninety percent of the population was wiped out. From what I saw, most if not all the major cities were leveled. There isnt any water or plants accept the oceans and some of the deeper lakes. I couldn't feel any of the others." Answered Trunks from his position on the ground, his voice was hollow.
"None of them?" said Goku fearfully, his voice cracking.
Trunks shook his head.
"Krillin? Tien? Choutsu? Yamacha?"
Again Trunks shook his head.
"Chi-Chi?" asked Goku at just above a whisper, his eyes begging for Trunks to say it wasn't true.
"I'm sorry Goku."
"Nooo. Oh Kami no…" the Sayajin's voice sounded like it were being dragged out of him painfully, agony filling his being. He threw his head back, the tears pouring fresh down his face as he mourned for his wife and his friends.
"We're…all that's left." Said Vegeta, resisting the urge to hug his woman. He was not that weak. Bulma didn't give a damn about his manly pride, she wanted to be held. She stumbled over to him and threw her arms around his shoulders. Vegeta scowled, but wrapped his own arms around her waist, telling himself that it was she who was feeling clingy and not him.
"Where do we go now?" asked Goku.
"I don't know."
End part 1