Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of it characters, and I am not making money off this story, so it would be totally useless to try and sue me!
**********
Hey folks! I just wanted to say that I hope you enjoy this story. I have written fan fiction before for Gargoyles, but never for Dragonball Z, so if anyone has any suggestions for me, I will gladly take them. Contructive criticism is a good thing! The character Trunks fascinates me, so this story really focuses on him. He won't be a saint though...Trunks is gonna suffer for his goals, beleive me! This isn't a love story either....I'm going for action here, if I can. It may start out a little slow at first, but don't worry, things WILL pick up! (P.S. I know there is a lot of cussing....but Trunks is a teenager, and I'm going for realism here.)
*****
Chapter 1 - Weakness
The heat surrounded him, burning, tearing at his flesh, and he could not move. He could not move one fucking bit. It hurt so much, and still his body refused to follow his frantic commands.
"You fool!" Vegeta bellowed, "Are you just going to stand there while I blast you?"
Trunks could not answer - every part of his body was overcome, even his vocal cords. The energy increased; Trunks wondered why he was still standing.
'Am I still standing?' He thought, 'Yeah, I'm still standing. I'm too helpless to even collapse in defeat.'
"That does it boy!" Vegeta screamed at Trunks, "If you are not going to defend yourself, I am not going to train you! It's a complete waste of my time!"
Trunks could only stare straight ahead as his father stomped from the Gravity Room. He remained that way for a few minutes, painfully aware of his vulnerability. Finally, mercilessly, his muscles came back to life, spasming violently as his synapses fought to regain control.
Trunks sank to the floor; his knees, which had so valiantly held him upright against his father's ki blast, could not contend with Trunks' convulsing body.
Trunks lay curled up in a ball for an entire hour. He had lost control over his body, and it was maddening. He knew his father had not meant to hurt him. Trunks should have been able to dodge that blast - or at least counter it.
'Is this where fifteen years of training has taken me?' Trunks thought, 'One fucking ki blast and I'm reduced to a gibbering, twitching maggot?'
He sighed and looked at his right hand. He had to get his control back. As he stared at it, he could feel a warmth slowly returning. It was comforting - he cleched his fist to test his muscles. To his relief, his hand did what it was supposed to do. At least he had control of something.
It did not take long for the rest of Trunks' body to get straightened out. He was relieved, but it would take much longer to get over his embarassment. He knew how stupid he had looked in front of his father - Trunks' Saiyan pride had been deeply wounded.
***
The bookcase was a pile of splinters before Bulma could say a word to her enraged husband. She stared at him in shock, but gathered her wits as he headed for the coffee table.
"Vegeta! Stop that!"
"Shut up woman!" He raised his fist to smash the table, but Bulma jumped in front of him.
"Get out of my way!"
"No! I will not let you destroy this house!"
"I will do as I please, woman!"
"Not when it comes to our home, you won't!" Bulma took a deep breath, "Why you are so angry?"
Vegeta turned away from Bulma and crossed his arms. She was relieved that he was done smashing her house, but she could see that he was still tense with pent-up rage. Sighing, Bulma began to massage his shoulders. She knew she might not find out why he was mad, but she could at least make him feel a little better.
Vegeta sighed and relaxed a bit. He was still furious about his son's foolishness, but Bulma always knew how to lighten his mood.
"I needed that," he said gratefully.
"I could tell - Are you hungry?"
"Yes. My training with Trunks took more out of me than it should have." Vegeta spat out his last few words and stalked into the kitchen.
'So, Trunks has something to do with this,' Bulma thought, 'I wonder if he's ok...'
"Vegeta," Bulma said, following her husband, "Did you hurt Trunks?"
Vegeta just grunted and took a box of cereal from the cabinet. Bulma sighed as he searched for a bowl. All these years and Vegeta still could not find anything but food in the kitchen.
"Woman! Why do you keep rearranging this place? How am I supposed to find anything?"
Bulma rolled her eyes and got her husband a bowl.
"Ok Vegeta, if you aren't going to tell me why you're angry, at least tell me that you didn't hurt Trunks too badly."
Vegeta growled and concentrated on his cereal. He really did not want to talk about it, but he knew his wife would not leave him alone until he did.
"The boy will be fine. He failed to avoid a ki blast, and he paid for it. Let the boy lick his wounds in peace."
Bulma sat down and poured herself some cereal. She decided that it would be best to take Vegeta's advice about Trunks; she knew how important pride was to Saiyans, and Trunks was no exception.
***
Trunks was still in the Gravity Room. He could control his body now, but he felt very weak. He knew his father was mad at him - he could hear Vegeta's destructive anger all the way across the house. Trunks sighed and stood up. He had failed miserably - he was willing to admit that, but it would never happen again. He had been neglecting his training far too much. His social life had become too important.
'I can't beleive I didn't see this coming,' Trunks thought angrily. 'What did I expect anyway, going out every night to parties and stuff? My priorities need to change.'
Trunks could feel his power swell under this new resolve. He felt better, and he felt like training. He still had one nagging concern, however. His body had never acted that strangely to a ki blast - it was almost as if it was trying to tell him something. But what? Did he just need to train more, push himself further? No, it was something more. Somehow his father's blast had uncovered a weakness.
He was not sure why, but he thought maybe Vegeta had put a little more behind the blast than usual, perhaps to test his son. Trunks could not remember if he had ever been hit by anything that powerful. Perhaps he had when he fought Majin Buu as Gotenks, but with Goten's power helping out, the strange weakness may not have been able to surface.
Trunks was frustrated. How could he be a great warrior if he was paralzed each time a strong energy blast hit him? Was that going to happen EVERY time? How could he train to resist something like that? Trunks plopped down on the Gravity Room floor and put his head in his hands.
'I'm not leaving here until I figure this out,' he thought, 'It's too damned important.'
Trunks was not there long before he got an idea. He knew that he had incredible control over his own ki; he might actually be able to use his power to boost his resistance. The plan was far from perfect, Trunks knew, but at least it was progress. Excited, he jumped up and formed an energy ball between his hands. Stepping back, he left the ball suspended a few feet in front of him. Frowning, he reached forward and flicked it.
"OW!!! Shit...that hurt!" Trunks felt his stomach lurch from the pain.
'Sheesh, I guess that when I hurt this, it hurts me - hmmm...'
Trunks reached forward and flicked the ball again. It still hurt him, but not quite as much. He kept this up for a while, until flicking the energy ball no longer hurt. Then Trunks began punching the ball - now THAT hurt.
Two hours later Trunks emerged from the Gravity Room. He knew he looked like hell, but it had been ages since he had felt so good about himself. His training routine had been drastically altered for the better, and he knew it. The next time his father wanted to spar, Trunks would be ready.
***
-- Well, folks, I hope you liked that! Things should get a little more interesting in the next chapter. I'm not a big fan of exposition, and I think it's time for some action!
P.S. Drop some reviews my way if ya want! I'd like to know how my first DBZ fic is going over! I have more chapters written, and I'll post them soon, but I would like to get some comments on this before I get too far into it. I'm not really sure how I'm going to conclude the story yet, so I'm proceeding with caution. I hate it when people don't finish their fics, and I'm sad to say that I'm guilty of that in my Gargoyles stuff. I'm determined to avoid that here, so help me out if you can! Woo!
-Stacey G.
**********
Hey folks! I just wanted to say that I hope you enjoy this story. I have written fan fiction before for Gargoyles, but never for Dragonball Z, so if anyone has any suggestions for me, I will gladly take them. Contructive criticism is a good thing! The character Trunks fascinates me, so this story really focuses on him. He won't be a saint though...Trunks is gonna suffer for his goals, beleive me! This isn't a love story either....I'm going for action here, if I can. It may start out a little slow at first, but don't worry, things WILL pick up! (P.S. I know there is a lot of cussing....but Trunks is a teenager, and I'm going for realism here.)
*****
Chapter 1 - Weakness
The heat surrounded him, burning, tearing at his flesh, and he could not move. He could not move one fucking bit. It hurt so much, and still his body refused to follow his frantic commands.
"You fool!" Vegeta bellowed, "Are you just going to stand there while I blast you?"
Trunks could not answer - every part of his body was overcome, even his vocal cords. The energy increased; Trunks wondered why he was still standing.
'Am I still standing?' He thought, 'Yeah, I'm still standing. I'm too helpless to even collapse in defeat.'
"That does it boy!" Vegeta screamed at Trunks, "If you are not going to defend yourself, I am not going to train you! It's a complete waste of my time!"
Trunks could only stare straight ahead as his father stomped from the Gravity Room. He remained that way for a few minutes, painfully aware of his vulnerability. Finally, mercilessly, his muscles came back to life, spasming violently as his synapses fought to regain control.
Trunks sank to the floor; his knees, which had so valiantly held him upright against his father's ki blast, could not contend with Trunks' convulsing body.
Trunks lay curled up in a ball for an entire hour. He had lost control over his body, and it was maddening. He knew his father had not meant to hurt him. Trunks should have been able to dodge that blast - or at least counter it.
'Is this where fifteen years of training has taken me?' Trunks thought, 'One fucking ki blast and I'm reduced to a gibbering, twitching maggot?'
He sighed and looked at his right hand. He had to get his control back. As he stared at it, he could feel a warmth slowly returning. It was comforting - he cleched his fist to test his muscles. To his relief, his hand did what it was supposed to do. At least he had control of something.
It did not take long for the rest of Trunks' body to get straightened out. He was relieved, but it would take much longer to get over his embarassment. He knew how stupid he had looked in front of his father - Trunks' Saiyan pride had been deeply wounded.
***
The bookcase was a pile of splinters before Bulma could say a word to her enraged husband. She stared at him in shock, but gathered her wits as he headed for the coffee table.
"Vegeta! Stop that!"
"Shut up woman!" He raised his fist to smash the table, but Bulma jumped in front of him.
"Get out of my way!"
"No! I will not let you destroy this house!"
"I will do as I please, woman!"
"Not when it comes to our home, you won't!" Bulma took a deep breath, "Why you are so angry?"
Vegeta turned away from Bulma and crossed his arms. She was relieved that he was done smashing her house, but she could see that he was still tense with pent-up rage. Sighing, Bulma began to massage his shoulders. She knew she might not find out why he was mad, but she could at least make him feel a little better.
Vegeta sighed and relaxed a bit. He was still furious about his son's foolishness, but Bulma always knew how to lighten his mood.
"I needed that," he said gratefully.
"I could tell - Are you hungry?"
"Yes. My training with Trunks took more out of me than it should have." Vegeta spat out his last few words and stalked into the kitchen.
'So, Trunks has something to do with this,' Bulma thought, 'I wonder if he's ok...'
"Vegeta," Bulma said, following her husband, "Did you hurt Trunks?"
Vegeta just grunted and took a box of cereal from the cabinet. Bulma sighed as he searched for a bowl. All these years and Vegeta still could not find anything but food in the kitchen.
"Woman! Why do you keep rearranging this place? How am I supposed to find anything?"
Bulma rolled her eyes and got her husband a bowl.
"Ok Vegeta, if you aren't going to tell me why you're angry, at least tell me that you didn't hurt Trunks too badly."
Vegeta growled and concentrated on his cereal. He really did not want to talk about it, but he knew his wife would not leave him alone until he did.
"The boy will be fine. He failed to avoid a ki blast, and he paid for it. Let the boy lick his wounds in peace."
Bulma sat down and poured herself some cereal. She decided that it would be best to take Vegeta's advice about Trunks; she knew how important pride was to Saiyans, and Trunks was no exception.
***
Trunks was still in the Gravity Room. He could control his body now, but he felt very weak. He knew his father was mad at him - he could hear Vegeta's destructive anger all the way across the house. Trunks sighed and stood up. He had failed miserably - he was willing to admit that, but it would never happen again. He had been neglecting his training far too much. His social life had become too important.
'I can't beleive I didn't see this coming,' Trunks thought angrily. 'What did I expect anyway, going out every night to parties and stuff? My priorities need to change.'
Trunks could feel his power swell under this new resolve. He felt better, and he felt like training. He still had one nagging concern, however. His body had never acted that strangely to a ki blast - it was almost as if it was trying to tell him something. But what? Did he just need to train more, push himself further? No, it was something more. Somehow his father's blast had uncovered a weakness.
He was not sure why, but he thought maybe Vegeta had put a little more behind the blast than usual, perhaps to test his son. Trunks could not remember if he had ever been hit by anything that powerful. Perhaps he had when he fought Majin Buu as Gotenks, but with Goten's power helping out, the strange weakness may not have been able to surface.
Trunks was frustrated. How could he be a great warrior if he was paralzed each time a strong energy blast hit him? Was that going to happen EVERY time? How could he train to resist something like that? Trunks plopped down on the Gravity Room floor and put his head in his hands.
'I'm not leaving here until I figure this out,' he thought, 'It's too damned important.'
Trunks was not there long before he got an idea. He knew that he had incredible control over his own ki; he might actually be able to use his power to boost his resistance. The plan was far from perfect, Trunks knew, but at least it was progress. Excited, he jumped up and formed an energy ball between his hands. Stepping back, he left the ball suspended a few feet in front of him. Frowning, he reached forward and flicked it.
"OW!!! Shit...that hurt!" Trunks felt his stomach lurch from the pain.
'Sheesh, I guess that when I hurt this, it hurts me - hmmm...'
Trunks reached forward and flicked the ball again. It still hurt him, but not quite as much. He kept this up for a while, until flicking the energy ball no longer hurt. Then Trunks began punching the ball - now THAT hurt.
Two hours later Trunks emerged from the Gravity Room. He knew he looked like hell, but it had been ages since he had felt so good about himself. His training routine had been drastically altered for the better, and he knew it. The next time his father wanted to spar, Trunks would be ready.
***
-- Well, folks, I hope you liked that! Things should get a little more interesting in the next chapter. I'm not a big fan of exposition, and I think it's time for some action!
P.S. Drop some reviews my way if ya want! I'd like to know how my first DBZ fic is going over! I have more chapters written, and I'll post them soon, but I would like to get some comments on this before I get too far into it. I'm not really sure how I'm going to conclude the story yet, so I'm proceeding with caution. I hate it when people don't finish their fics, and I'm sad to say that I'm guilty of that in my Gargoyles stuff. I'm determined to avoid that here, so help me out if you can! Woo!
-Stacey G.