Gohan stared at the crying fourteen year old Trunks; he placed a gentle hand on the boys shoulder. Trunks turned and threw himself into his mentors arms. "Oh Gohan," he cried, "Why did she have to die, she was the only family I had left." "Hey, what about me?" Gohan asked in a soft tone that seemed, compared to the warrior image, out of place. "You, Gohan?" Trunks looked up at the man, that he considered to be more his father more than anything else with, expectation in his youthful blue eyes. "Yeah, me." Gohan broke the hold the boy had him in, uncomfortable with such intense emotions. "You know, Trunks, that your mother didn't mean to leave you, right?" "Yeah, it's just that she kind of let me down, ya know?" Gohan nodded, yes he knew exactly what Trunks meant, he remembered feeling the exact same way when his own father and mother had died from a virus, similar to the one that Bulma had died from, oh yes he knew exactly what Trunks meant. "Gohan will you tell me what it was like before the androids, before the battle?" "Sure, well it was peaceful Trunks, well as peaceful as it had been for a little while at least." Gohan chuckled at his own small joke, stroking the scar on his cheek and remembering the old days. "My father, Goku, had just arrived home from whatever planet he had been staying on, Yardrat I think, and Vegeta, your father Trunks, Was strutting around showing off his new powers." Gohan chuckled again. "So much so that my father had to punch him out just to shut him up, not that he was the excessively violent kind of guy, he wasn't. " I had just turned nine when the virus hit," Gohan squeezed his eyes shut to prevent the tears from leaking out, " when. when my parents died I thought I would die too. Then piccolo took me form our house to live with him at Kami's lookout. Every now and then I would go stay with your mother and father. Your mother would have the maids cook big feasts and I would train with Vegeta in the Gravity Room, I think Vegeta felt sorry for me so he agreed to help me train, but when you were born I just stopped coming. I don't know why, I mean, I know they would have taken me in, but, I don't know, I don't think that I could have dealt with being in another family, so I just stopped going. "I had been training hard with Piccolo and when I out matched him I started training by myself in fire, hurricanes, earthquakes. Always seeing if I can beat the elements and I got to the point where I didn't even have to try. The Super Saiyan abilities came to me so naturally that I didn't even have to try and advancing came just as naturally. "The Z fighters met again when I was eleven, Piccolo informed me that there were two androids on the rampage in down town Yakkann city, that was to be the fighters' grave." Gohan looked at the young hybrid Saiyan warrior, whose blue eyes were shimmering with suppressed tears. "You don't have to go on papa Gohan," he whispered to a shocked Gohan, "I know what happens next, they all die, right?" "Right, they all die." "Gohan?" "Hmm?" "Gohan can I call you dad?" Gohan very nearly fell over; he didn't quite know what to say, the thought of being considered a father by anyone was down right weird. "Well can I?" Trunks asked, worried that Gohan would reject him. "Sure, kid, why not?" With that said Trunks jumped up and ran from the grave they had dug for Bulma next to a tombstone saying 'Here lies Vegeta Brief who died in the battle with the androids. Loving father and husband. (I don't know the dates that DBZ goes by so I'm using my own) 4002-4028AD R.I.P.' Further along there were other graves for Goku and Chichi, for Yamcha, For Tian and Chot-zou and lastly for Piccolo and Kami the real protectors of the earth.

Gohan looked out of the window of the crumbling Capsule Corp. building, it was raining, hard. It hit the window pains with hard taps and in some places simply fell into the old cracked hallways of Capsule Corp, where there wasn't even a roof let alone a window. "It is a fitting day." He whispered to himself, "It fits the occasion." "What are you mumbling about Dad?" asked Trunks, coming out of the shower room towelling off his wet hair. "Nothing Trunks, I'm just thinking that today will be a bad one." "Why do you say that?" Gohan remained silent. "Dad? Dad, why do you say that?" Trunks sounded frantic. Gohan looked to the boy he considered a son and sighed, the poor kid had already been through so much that no child had a right to go through. "Trunks, I have a mission for you, your mother and I were working on it before she died and I have just finished." "Dad, you're scaring me." Gohan sighed, "Now Trunks, in three days, I want you to go back in time." "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" cried Trunks. "Not so. You mother has designed, and with my help, built a time machine. With this machine I want you to go back in time to save the world." "Father, why don't you go?" the boy asked tentatively, tears welling in his eyes, already knowing the answer. "Trunks, I have contracted the virus your mother died from, I figure I have about three days to live." Gohan stated in all seriousness, his face perfectly Indifferent. "Daddy, No!" the tears in Trunks' eyes fell freely and the seventeen year old boy fell to his knees. Gohan placed a hand on his shoulder and Trunks looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please say it isn't so Papa, Please!" Gohan shook his head sadly, I'm sorry Trunks, so sorry, he whispered silently. "What about me Dad, have I got it too?" "No, I gave you a vaccination two weeks ago, remember?" "Oh yeah. Well why didn't you give yourself one." "Ah son, the virus was already in its advanced stages and by then there is no stopping it." The black haired warrior said softly. "Okay Father, I will obey your instruction and go back to the past and save your life!" the boy promised hastily, tears streaming unchecked down his cheeks. Gohan just nodded, knowing it was hopeless, the only reason he was sending the boy back was to keep him safe from what Gohan was about to do.

The next three days were hard on both Gohan and Trunks. Gohan was finding it harder and harder to function normally and needed help to get around, but when Trunks went out on android patrol Gohan staggered to Bulma's old work room. His breathing laboured and heart pounding abnormally, he wound his way around the junk to a wooden crate labelled "Last Resort." he opened the lid carefully, so as not to disturb the contents. Inside was a highly explosive nuclear bomb, hooked up too enough explosives world wide to destroy the planet. And everything on it. He set it to go off in 48 hours and 30 minutes, giving trunks enough time to get off planet.

Trunks entered C.C that night and knew something was very wrong. He searched for Gohan's Ki; it was very weak, coming from his bedroom. "Dad!" he called and ran upstairs as fast as he could. Gohan was laying half on the bed, half off, his face down. His breathing was shallow and hoarse. "DAD!" Trunks rushed to his side. Gohan turned his head slightly and looked at his son with blank black eyes, Trunks swiped tears from his eyes and knelt beside the bed and grabbed his Dad's hand. "Trunks," Gohan said hoarsely, "Trunks, I...I need you to..." Gohan paused to have a coughing fit, "I need you to go today. It is im...imperative that you leave now." Gohan struggled to force the words through his pain filled throat. "But Dad!" Trunks protested, tears flowed unchecked down his cheeks. "Please don't protest Trunks and remember that I love you very much." Trunks just nodded, his whole body trembling with the emotional shock. "Okay Dad, anything you say." Trunks said, dropping Gohan's hand and walking out as silently as possible. "Good Bye son, I hope you will be happy in the dimension I'm sending you."

End Prologue

NEXT: where is Trunks Going, and will he ever be able to help Gohan? Next time on Dragonball FUTURE!!!