Thanks so much to Ms. Videl Son and ShadowMajin for beta-reading this! MVS had started beta-ing this about a few years ago, but then I went through a writer's block (mine tend to last a while...hah), changed this story a whole lot, and then ShadowMajin took over the beta process. You two are seriously the best!

Chapter 1: To Be Free

Destroyed cities were nothing new to Trunks, and this one was no different. Places people remembered with fondness lay collapsed on the ground and the occasional glimpse of a dead body would appear time to time. Those who were caught point blank in the blasts were to be considered lucky, but those who were crushed by falling buildings and left alive were the unlucky ones. They were the ones who survived, only to suffer from losing their loved ones and all types of possible trauma: losing limbs, half their bodies, and a lot of the times, their sanity. It was during those times that Trunks actually wished death upon these individuals simply out of mercy and pity.

Trunks took in every detail of his surroundings one last time and ran back towards his only male role model. As his steps quickened and his strides grew longer, the figure of a muscular, dark-haired man came into his view. Clad in a blue and orange gi was Gohan and he was currently surrounded by a small and haggard looking crowd of survivors.

"Did you find any more people?" Gohan asked, not taking his eyes off the small group.

Trunks shook his head, but they were both quite surprised to have found so many healthy survivors from this city. The androids must have been getting sloppy.

"Don't worry," Gohan began."We'll get you all to shelters and you'll be safe there."

"Not for long," one of the survivors, a burly-looking man in his thirties, replied hopelessly. "They'll get us eventually."

"Think like that and they will get you," Gohan said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Don't ever abandon hope. Life should be cherished, not tossed aside. Optimism is what will get you through these times."

The man appeared to be silenced in an instant, apparently in deep thought. Gohan was getting pretty good with those speeches, Trunks noted. It was a gift that Trunks hadn't quite mastered yet because all he ever seemed to do was make people cry.

"I wonder where she is," Trunks mused aloud as he looked around in the sky for a hover copter.

"She should be here soon," the dark-haired man reassured.

As if on cue, a yellow hover copter with the Capsule Corp. logo came into view in the sky and slowly made its descent. Gohan and Trunks had purposefully picked a flat spot so it was easier to land the copter.

"So Gold Boy and Potential Gold Boy Two, how many survivors do we have this time?" the raven-haired woman greeted oh so fondly with her endearing nicknames. Trunks smiled.

"We've got six, Videl. Think they can all fit?" Gohan responded, his expression not even wavering in the least from his stern demeanour. Of course, any other time the older half-saiyan would actually joke back, but he would never do so after the androids destroyed yet another city, no matter where he was. Trunks knew even at that moment, Gohan was still on the look-out for those monsters.

"Well, it'll be cramped but it's doable. There usually aren't so many," Videl remarked as she lifted a finger to her chin in thought. She took a glimpse at the group of survivors and she immediately turned away before she started to stare, sighing. "You'd think after all these years we'd get used to this."

"Absolutely not," Gohan affirmed loudly, almost as though he were offended by those words. Videl jumped in surprise as her head jerked in the direction of Gohan's voice. What she said wasn't meant to be heard, but Trunks and Gohan were gifted with exceptional hearing. "Why would we have to get used to this if mankind shouldn't even deserve it in the first place?"

Trunks and Videl were silenced; the young boy had nothing to respond to that and he knew that Videl didn't either. As Gohan moved to help the group of survivors into the copter, Trunks hesitantly approached Videl.

"You know I won't bite, squirt," Videl teased with a struggling smile. "What's up?"

"Just wondering how you guys are doing these days. I haven't really seen either of you in a while. I mean, I just happened to run into Gohan after the androids got to this place."

He actually hadn't even seen the other half-saiyan for an entire month before he bumped into Gohan. Trunks used to hear that Gohan was gone for days at a time before returning home to his mother in the mountain region, although that really wasn't true anymore since Gohan had stopped going back altogether. Instead, he drifted around the world, never staying in one place for too long.

"I was wondering what you were doing in a place like this when I saw you. Bulma's probably gonna kill you when you get home."

"Don't remind me," Trunks grumbled. "Hey, can I ask you a favour? Do you think you could talk Gohan into stopping by Capsule Corp. after we're done here?"

The woman furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. "Well, I guess I could, but why?"

"There's something I wanna talk to Gohan about. Oh, and if my mom comes home before we're done, do you think you could distract her a bit?"

"That's a really strange request, but I suppose I can manage it."

"Thanks Videl! I-"

"But you owe me something. One of the new hover copters your mom's been working on would be great. I'm pretty sure there's one that can sit people and still have room for stretchers. And can you ask her to install medical equipment focused on trauma injuries? Thanks Trunks!"

"What? But they're not even…," Trunks started to say, but Videl had already walked off, "…finished yet."

Trunks mumbled incoherent words to himself as he motioned to a couple huddled together to follow him into the copter when he heard someone's cry for help off into the distance.

"Gohan!" he cried immediately. The older half-saiyan rushed outside after hearing the distress in Trunks' voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked, but his answer had already come when the unknown man's screaming became loud enough for them both to hear. "It came from this way. Let's go!"

It didn't take too long for the two half-saiyans to find the source of the voice. Even though the ki signature was weak, they were both able to easily follow their senses. It was a man who looked to be in his forties lying on his stomach, crushed by the remains of a nearby building.

"Help…me…," he managed to say.

"Hang on, I'll get this thing off you," Trunks said bravely.

"Wait, Trunks…," Gohan began, but it was already too late. The young man had already lifted the rubble that was crushing the anonymous man with his remarkable super human strength, but he regretted it the instant he saw what was underneath.

When the man saw the shocked expression on Trunks' face and the pained look that Gohan gave him, he turned to see what they were looking at. And then he screamed.

"Please, please help me!" he wailed, tears falling rapidly down his face. "Help me! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna…"

"Just…just hang on. We're gonna go get you to a doctor," Trunks tried to console, but his own face was already as pale as snow.

"No! I don't wanna…just kill me now! Please just kill me now. I'm gonna die…"

Trunks moved forward to help but Gohan held him back firmly as he laid one hand over the young boy's eyes. All Trunks could do was cry.

Trunks plopped himself down at the kitchen table of what was left of the Capsule Corporation building, feeling far too old for his young age of fourteen. Gohan stood as he stared out of the window towards the sunset. He was clearly in deep thought, but Trunks wasn't really sure what he was thinking about.

"What the androids have done to this world is horrible," Trunks started. "I may not know what it's like to live peacefully, but I do know that living in constant fear is not life. That's why I want to make a difference."

Trunks paused, spending the time trying to organize his thoughts. A glance towards Gohan's direction told him that his fellow half-saiyan hadn't moved a single inch and his face was still as passive as ever. It kind of figured that Trunks didn't even get a small hint as to what Gohan's answer might have been when he realized it was Gohan he was speaking with.

"Please train me, Gohan," Trunks pleaded. "Please, you have to! I want to fight and make a difference in this world!"

For a long while, the older man still did not answer. He merely stood by the window, gazing into the sunset as if he had heard nothing. Trunks waited for his answer nonetheless because he knew that Gohan had heard him. It was only a matter of time before he came to a decision.

Trunks didn't know how long they were like that; Gohan standing firmly, thinking, and Trunks sitting at the table waiting patiently (or perhaps it was impatiently). It could have been seconds, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. And he waited.

"You're pitiful," Gohan finally said. Well, Trunks wasn't exactly expecting that one. He could see Gohan smirk through his reflection in the window. "Just like me when I was your age. Did you know I wasn't allowed to train with my father when I was younger?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Trunks shook his head anyways. His gaze remained on Gohan, telling him that he was still expecting an answer.

"I guess I'll train you," Gohan said.

"Thank you, Gohan! I won't-"

"It'd be hard to say no to such a pathetic face," Gohan continued with a wide smirk. Trunks scowled in annoyance, looking away from Gohan. The man chuckled audibly and stepped towards the young teenager with a genuine smile instead and ruffled his hair. "I know you won't let me down, Trunks," he said gently, and Trunks couldn't help but smile himself.

The click of the door and the loud squeak of rusty hinges informed the two half-saiyans that there was someone entering the building. Trunks didn't even have to sense the ki signature to tell that it was his mother. Well, at least Videl was able to hold her off long enough for Gohan to agree to train him. They could hear the younger woman going off about a new hover copter with a stronger engine.

The blue-haired woman stepped into view of the lounge and she peeked over her grocery bag to see Trunks seated at the table.

Trunks could've sworn he saw his mother look relieved for a second, and it was reasonable since he knew she was worried. The only thing that kept him thinking it was just his imagination was how quickly the look disappeared and changed to anger.

"So the blockhead is still alive. Do you plan to get yourself killed soon? There's a nice dress I saw today that would be perfect for your funeral," Bulma said quite harshly.

Trunks didn't even know how to answer that one, so he smartly glued his mouth together and didn't dare utter a sound.

"And Gohan's here as well. How are you doing?" Bulma asked.

"I'm fine," Gohan replied with a nod.

Bulma sighed. "I actually knew you'd be here when I saw Videl waiting for me downstairs," she started, "which is when I started to get this crazy idea. Something along the lines of, what if my son and Gohan are plotting something stupid behind my back?"

"Uh…"

"Of course, you're both way too smart to do anything stupid, so there's really nothing to worry about."

Trunks couldn't help but wonder how fake that smile was.

"Of course not, mom…," he trailed off, forcing a laugh out.

Videl stepped into the kitchenalongside Bulma with another grocery bag in her arms. Bulma had already placed her own bag on the kitchen counter and she wordlessly took the one from Videl's hands to unblock her vision.

"Do you want to put on a movie while I start dinner?" Bulma asked casually, because she was always trying to get him to do as many normal things as possible.

"Um, sure," Trunks replied, obeying without question. Wasn't she angry at him a minute ago? He went through the cabinet where his mother kept all of her old movies. Trunks had actually grown up with chick flicks, what with Bulma Briefs as his mother and all, and Gohan wasn't exactly the type to sit around home watching movies all day.

"I'm glad you both decided to stay for dinner. I hardly ever see you anymore," Bulma commented rather animatedly as she tended to the food in her kitchen. She was cooking for two half-saiyans after all, and there needed to be a constant supply of food for them.

"We're staying for dinner?" Videl asked Gohan quietly.

"It's not like we have a choice in the matter," Gohan replied just as quiet.

Trunks simply snickered.

"We should be thanking you for making all this food for us. Well, for Gohan," Videl replied politely as they sat down to eat.

"Mhm; oh yeah! This really is delicious," Gohan complimented happily as he took a bite of the chicken.

Trunks was eyeing the television every once in a while as he practically inhaled his food since it was playing his favourite romantic drama.

"Oh, my darling, how I cherish this one meal with you after being parted from my love for so many sleepless nights and exhausting days," Romald had said lovingly to his dear Drema half-way through the movie. Trunks practically knew the film word-for-word and it was disheartening to know that they would eventually be separated in a terrible -

"I'm surprised you can tell good food from bad, mister 'I-can't-cook-to-save-my-own-life'," Videl teased. Gohan frowned in mid-bite and his eyebrows furrowed together in irritation.

"My dear, dear, Romald. How you spoil me with your amorous words and loving touch," Drema replied with a longing sigh.

"I can't cook? The last time you tried cooking you gave us both food poisoning!" Gohan argued back defensively.

"Oh, but how you spoil me with such a wonderful meal! I believe it is a fair bargain indeed."

"Oh please! Your idea of cooking is eating out of a can!" Videl retorted.

Trunks wasn't sure which was more interesting, the movie or the bickering couple he sat with. While he had a soft spot for Romald and Drema's tragic tale, the latter won as most amusing dinner entertainment.

His own enjoyment aside, Trunks couldn't help but wonder if Gohan and Videl really were in love. Couples weren't supposed to act like them, constantly fighting with each other. It just wasn't…normal, especially in comparison to the couple in his favourite movie. He admitted that killer androids and half-aliens weren't normal either (according to his mother anyways; he was still confused about what was normal and what wasn't), but still…

Trunks thought it just wasn't what couples in love were supposed to do. Gohan and Videl hardly ever expressed their feelings or affection for each other from what Trunks had seen. Any onlooker who didn't know them would think they hated each other with the way they acted. Yet, somehow, they were together.

It just didn't fit.