Never Lose Hope
By: Saiyan Serpent
This is an A/U fic, so a lot of things are going to be different. It will eventually be an mt/mp fic, so bear with me. Mirai Gohan had a family in this story. Trunks is only ten years older than Pan.
Disclaimer: I don't own db, dbz, dbgt, or any of its characters, so please don't sue me.
Chapter One: Broken Promises
He woke up in a cold sweat. It was the same dream that had plagued him almost every night for the past twelve years. It was the dream that robbed him of his teacher and best friend, Gohan.
It wasn't just a dream though. It was a memory from his tortured past that refused to leave him in peace. The memory wrapped itself around his soul like a python claiming its prey. There were times when it hurt to breathe, and this was one of them.
He tore the soaking sheets off his body and focused on slowing his breathing down. Images flashed through his mind as he sat up in bed. He closed his eyes as he tried to force the disturbing thoughts from his head. Letting out a ragged breath, he stood up and walked towards the balcony.
He opened the doors and was met with a cold rush of air. Lavender locks stirred in the gentle night breeze as his hands gripped the cool railing. The cold metal reminded him of those heartless androids; the one's that took so much from him. He had vowed vengeance for their evil deeds and won in it in a fierce battle that nearly destroyed him.
Trunks Briefs had survived their destructive insanity where others had not. Still, the victory was not as he had hoped it to be.
Some small part of him thought that their deaths would bring him satisfaction, but it only seemed to remind him of his earlier failures; times where he had gone up against the terrible pair only to end up broken and defeated. Their deaths had not left pleasure in his heart, only emptiness.
He knew why the dream troubled him so much. It wasn't just the memory of his fallen friend that haunted him. No, it was the guilt, the guilt that had forced itself through his entire being threatening to consume him.
The guilt wasn't from his failure to fight against the androids the night they killed his best friend. The failure was a far greater crime, an offense that followed him everywhere. He had broken a promise or rather failed to keep it; a promise that he made to his dying mentor.
FLASHBACK
Trunks flew across the scattered remains of the city desperate to find his friend. Hundreds of thoughts ran through his mind as tears threatened to fall down his face. He had wanted to fight the androids with Gohan, but his friend had knocked him out cold before he had the chance to go.
Trunks didn't understand why Gohan had left him there alone, but at the moment he didn't care. All he wanted right now was to find his friend safe and unharmed by those maniacal beasts.
The rain was pounding against his face, which made it difficult to see anything. He felt for Gohan's ki, but there was nothing. Trunks tensed knowing that there were only two reasons for that. Either Gohan was severely injured or he was dead.
He shook his head and discarded the thought. Trunks would not accept the possibility that Gohan could be dead. The only other explanation meant that he had to hurry and find Gohan before it was too late. Trunks could take him back to the lab where his mother, Bulma, could care for him.
A figure on the ground suddenly caught his eye shaking Trunks from his thoughts. He felt his heart pounding in his ears as he flew down to the still form.
Kneeling in a puddle of water, Trunks reached for the figure as a flash of lightning lit up the dark sky. In that brief moment, he could see that it was Gohan and time seemed to stand still.
Trunks stared at his friend in disbelief as his hand began to tremble. He felt the blood rush to his head and his muscles tensed making it hard to breathe.
Placing his hand on the motionless figure, Trunks struggled for control of his voice. The air rushed from his lungs past his lips as he managed to speak.
"Gohan?" He heard no answer. His worst fears were suddenly becoming a reality as he began to shake the battered body.
"Gohan!" he cried more desperate this time.
Still he heard no response. The tears that he denied release before were suddenly streaming down his face mixing with the stinging rain. His body trembled uncontrollably as his hands fell away from the body to the wet earth beneath him.
He grabbed handfuls of dirt as he sat there sobbing on the ground. Suddenly there was movement from the figure beside him. Trunks wiped his face with the back of his hand as he reached over to his friend.
"Trunks..." was all he heard as his friend struggled to speak.
"Gohan don't try to talk." His friend tried speaking again, but was only rewarded with a choking sound as he coughed up some blood.
"Gohan please you're only making it worse!" Trunks begged him not to continue, but Gohan would not listen.
"No Trunks. I have to...say this...now," sputtered Gohan. "I want you...to promise me something...Trunks," pleaded Gohan.
"Promise you what Gohan, what are you talking about?" Trunks was getting nervous. He couldn't think and Gohan's gasps for air weren't helping matters.
His mind drifted in total disbelief. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a dream, but it felt more like a nightmare. He was brought back to reality when he heard Gohan speak again.
"Trunks...promise me you'll...take care...of my family." He barely managed to choke the words out as he fought to stay conscious.
"Gohan, don't talk like that. They don't need me, because they have you. Please Gohan you have to let me take you back to the lab. My mom can help, you'll see."
"Not this time...Trunks." Gohan's words barely above a whisper now, but Trunks heard every word.
"What do you mean? Gohan, you've been through worse. You're gonna be fine, just wait..." Trunks was cut off abruptly when Gohan grabbed him by the shirt.
"Trunks promise me you'll take care of them...no matter what!"
Trunks could see the look in his friend's eyes and it made his heart stop. Gohan was serious. He was dying, and his last request was to protect his family. Trunks didn't want to make the promise, because doing that meant he was accepting his friend's fate.
He closed his eyes praying to Kami that this was not happening. Trunks felt Gohan's grip tighten on his shirt as he awaited an answer. Trunks opened his eyes again and felt the tears rush down his cheeks.
"Trunks..." Gohan's strength was fading quickly, but he was determined to get his answer.
"Yes Gohan, I promise." Trunks manage to choke the words out as he held back more tears.
As soon as the words had passed from his mouth, Trunks felt the hold on his shirt loosen from Gohan's hand falling to the ground. In that moment all life seem to drain from Gohan's body as he closed his eyes and became motionless.
Trunks struggled to blink back the tears but he was failing miserably. He tried to wake his friend up, but there was no response. "Gohan, you can't die! Please Gohan wake up!"
The emotions that had nearly overwhelmed him before returned, and they threatened to send him over the edge. Despair turned to anger and anger turned into rage. Trunks could feel something deep inside of him stir as he looked to the heavens and screamed his friend's name.
"GOHAN!"
A golden aura surrounded him as his hair began to flicker with traces of gold. The earth around him started to tremble as the storm raged over the battered city. Wind kicked around him as the rain swirled in a merciless frenzy.
The landscape began to illuminate with a mixture of lightning and blinding energy that resonated from the young warrior. Tear-filled eyes flashed back and forth between blue and green as his mind begged for release.
Tortured screams rose into the night sky challenging the mighty thunder itself. Lavender locks continued to spark rising into golden spikes, openly defying gravity. With a final roar of fury, his body exploded in a brilliant flash of light as he broke the barrier and ascended to the level of Super Saiyan. The transformation lasted only a few seconds before he exhausted himself and fell to the ground unconscious.
That was a night that Trunks would never forget. It was the night that he had achieved the level of Super Saiyan. He had struggled in his training with Gohan to reach that level but always fell short of his goal. It was Gohan's death that ultimately provoked the transformation Trunks so desperately sought. He would gladly give that up though, if it meant he could have his friend back.
A sudden jolt brought him out of his trance as the sound of metal creaking filled his ears. He jumped back from the edge of the balcony and stared in shock. He had gripped the railing too hard causing the entire thing to buckle under the intense pressure. Breaking free of its restraints, the railing fell in a massive heap to the ground below.
"Shit," he thought "Mom's gonna kill me." He let out a small sigh as he turned and walked back through the doors to his bedroom. The day had not yet begun and things already looked utterly depressing.