Hello! Well some were very nice and polite in response to the first draft of this story so thank you. I took the advice given and rewrote the ending. In all honesty I wrote the whole thing around 1 a.m. and in one sitting so I got tired and just ended it and then foolishly submitted it without reviewing it. I apologize. I plan on leaving up the original because I want people to read it and be horrified and then read this and be amazed. Not meaning to be over-confident or anything, but hold on because I am determined to set this fic right and I will be working hard on astounding all you readers out there. Hope you enjoy this more! Bye and thanks for the reviews!
deadscream7990
~~~~~
A Reason to Live *edited*
~~~~~
He sat alone, a solitary creature, shunning all human contact. The brilliant light shed by the sun quickly fading as the sun dropped behind the mountains. With his head hung low, the man sat, content for the moment to watch the fading reds and oranges of the sunset play across the sky.
A voice, carried over the wind, reached his ear. With a sigh, his head dropped lower. What more did she want from him? He had done as she wished. He had used her plan.
He had gone to the past to warn the others, trained and fought beside them, become insanely more powerful, and then had returned to defeat the androids and Cell. Everything thing had been done just like she wanted. But she was not happy. Not satisfied. What more did she want from him?
In changing the past he had changed himself. It had been a mistake to become acquainted with the warriors of the past. Meeting his father, seeing Gohan again, it was all so amazing to him. He had never wanted to leave that timeline, the place where the world was still alive. Yet he had returned, refusing to leave his world to be sacrificed to the androids. What a fool he was. To think he could be satisfied with this lonely life after having met so many friends in the other timeline.
It just wasn't fair! Why did he always end up alone? He had thought that when the androids were defeated then the pain in life would magically be eradicated. Foolish hopes and dreams. The pain would never leave his life and the loneliness had only gotten worse. Anything is better than this, this knowledge of how it could have been, how it should have been for his world!
He could never be content here. No, he felt so alone, so out of place. Nothing interested him here. If only...if only this miserable existence would end. His life served no purpose anymore so what was the point of continuing on?
The voice, once distant, now close, reached his sensitive ears again. Question answered. No matter how irritated he felt with her a times, he knew that he could never leave his mother alone here. She didn't need him, but she wanted him, which was enough to keep him anchored in this world for the time being.
~~~~~
Bulma hesitantly approached her only son. He was never the same after returning from the other timeline. There was a sad aura around him constantly. Not even the defeat of the androids and Cell brought him happiness. She knew what he wanted, she knew that he would never feel a part of this world again, not after being a part of their world.
He was a man split in two and it was killing him.
Never speaking a word, Bulma lowered herself to the ground beside Trunks. Lightly rubbing her hands over her arms, she struggled to think of something to say to the young man sitting beside her.
"Go home, mother, it's cold out here. You'll get sick," Trunks sat still watching in the direction of the sunset that had long been over.
"I suppose you're right, Trunks dear." Bulma stood to leave, not wishing to try and push him into talking to her at a moment when he obviously wanted nothing more than to be left alone. "You do realize that you can't push me away forever, Trunks, right? I'm not leaving you alone to wither away. You mean too much to me."
With that having been said, Bulma retreated into the darkness towards Capsule Corp. Her eyes glassy at the sight of her only son so deep in depression. She never should have let him go to the past. It was too much for his poor soul to handle. She should have gone, not her son. Why had she let him? Why had she willingly allowed him to do something that she deep down knew would bring him so much pain?
Because she was weak. Because she had not wanted to feel that pain. Because she vainly hoped that he would not become attached, vainly hoped that he would transcend the pain.
What a fool she was.
~~~~~
Seconds to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years.
And still Trunks prayed for death to come, for fate to be merciful.
~~~~~
She lay on her bed, weak and unable to move. Trunks had been home a lot more recently. He knew the same as her, her life would end soon. He sat beside her bed in a chair, pulled close, holding her hand gently in his.
A solitary tear escaped her eyes, a tear for the person she was leaving behind. Please, Kami, let him find a reason to live on when I'm gone. She knew he had stayed alive for her benefit and she feared that with her death, Trunks would feel free to do with his life as he see fit...end it.
Her breathe came in short gasps as she prayed fervently for a miracle for her son. Don't let his life end this way, in pain, he deserves so much more. He deserves everything he left behind in the other timeline. If only he could return there...if only we hadn't destroyed the time machine...if only I had built him another...if only I had more time with him...if only I could tell him how much I love him one more time.
So many 'if onlys'...so many...
Azure met azure, unspoken words were exchanged, and one soul departed from its bodily confines.
~~~~~
Trunks was laying on his back, he could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin, the cool of the grass beneath him. His quiet breathing the only audible sound for miles. Far away from people, far away from reality. This was how he loved to spend his days, simply content to lay back and relish in the wonders of peace and nature.
As much as he may love peace though, he wondered daily if he would ever, rather could ever, find peace within his own soul. Was it possible, in a time of peace, for a warrior, who is no longer needed, to silence the urge, often the need, to fight?
Perhaps that was where his problem resided. His inherent need to be in a constant state of battle. Was it possible that he was creating his own personal problems so that he may have an opponent with which to fight? Could that truly be?
His mind toyed with the idea, bouncing it back and forth within the recesses of his mind. But how, he wondered, could he create from his imagination this incredible feeling of loneliness? The feeling that was amplified intensely by his mothers departure from this dimension.
Trunks sighed, exhaustion beginning to grasp his whole being. He stood on unsteady legs and viewed the setting of the sun, amazed at how with its departure it took all light and warmth.
Desperate to keep himself from despair, he thought of how, despite the sun's retreat, leaving the world cold, it always returned every morning to shed its light and warmth. He shook his head at how foolish he was to wish his own demise. How he must have worried his mother so, especially in her last few moments. She feared what he would do without her around to guide him on a straight path.
He looked despairingly down at his hands, the hands that had defeated the androids and Cell of this timeline. And yet he couldn't use them to save himself. He felt so guilty, as if an acid were eating its way through his soul.
He had been searching for something ever since he had returned from the other timeline, searching for a cure to his loneliness, to this feeling of utter desolation. But perhaps, he was not searching in the right places. How was he ever going to find happiness if he continued to seclude himself from society?
He had built barriers between his mother and himself and now that he realized how inane that was of him, it was too late, she was already gone from this world. All she wanted was for him to find solace in the world, to find his place and live out his days in peace.
Trunks felt dreadful, his mother had been through so much in her life and yet always had time to do so much for him. And how had he repaid her? He had nearly killed her with worry about whether or not he would end his own life after her death. He was such a fool.
Don't worry though, mother. I vow to you, that I will find peace in this world, I will live my life as you wished me to, and I will always cherish you in my heart, my dear mother.
A lone tear slipped down his cheek, unchecked by his hands, clenched in determined fists by his side. He had thought that with the defeat of the androids and Cell it would be the end of his battles, but rather it was the beginning of his struggle with his inner turmoil.
And as the sun disappeared from view, the last of its shining rays gone, Trunks blasted off towards home, with a new mission in life, to live it, and most importantly to live it without the shadows of the past haunting him.
~~~~~
Well, I hope this is more pleasing to all of you out there. This isn't the end though. I plan on adding a few more chapters, so please review and let me know what you think of the changes!
deadscream7990
~~~~~
A Reason to Live *edited*
~~~~~
He sat alone, a solitary creature, shunning all human contact. The brilliant light shed by the sun quickly fading as the sun dropped behind the mountains. With his head hung low, the man sat, content for the moment to watch the fading reds and oranges of the sunset play across the sky.
A voice, carried over the wind, reached his ear. With a sigh, his head dropped lower. What more did she want from him? He had done as she wished. He had used her plan.
He had gone to the past to warn the others, trained and fought beside them, become insanely more powerful, and then had returned to defeat the androids and Cell. Everything thing had been done just like she wanted. But she was not happy. Not satisfied. What more did she want from him?
In changing the past he had changed himself. It had been a mistake to become acquainted with the warriors of the past. Meeting his father, seeing Gohan again, it was all so amazing to him. He had never wanted to leave that timeline, the place where the world was still alive. Yet he had returned, refusing to leave his world to be sacrificed to the androids. What a fool he was. To think he could be satisfied with this lonely life after having met so many friends in the other timeline.
It just wasn't fair! Why did he always end up alone? He had thought that when the androids were defeated then the pain in life would magically be eradicated. Foolish hopes and dreams. The pain would never leave his life and the loneliness had only gotten worse. Anything is better than this, this knowledge of how it could have been, how it should have been for his world!
He could never be content here. No, he felt so alone, so out of place. Nothing interested him here. If only...if only this miserable existence would end. His life served no purpose anymore so what was the point of continuing on?
The voice, once distant, now close, reached his sensitive ears again. Question answered. No matter how irritated he felt with her a times, he knew that he could never leave his mother alone here. She didn't need him, but she wanted him, which was enough to keep him anchored in this world for the time being.
~~~~~
Bulma hesitantly approached her only son. He was never the same after returning from the other timeline. There was a sad aura around him constantly. Not even the defeat of the androids and Cell brought him happiness. She knew what he wanted, she knew that he would never feel a part of this world again, not after being a part of their world.
He was a man split in two and it was killing him.
Never speaking a word, Bulma lowered herself to the ground beside Trunks. Lightly rubbing her hands over her arms, she struggled to think of something to say to the young man sitting beside her.
"Go home, mother, it's cold out here. You'll get sick," Trunks sat still watching in the direction of the sunset that had long been over.
"I suppose you're right, Trunks dear." Bulma stood to leave, not wishing to try and push him into talking to her at a moment when he obviously wanted nothing more than to be left alone. "You do realize that you can't push me away forever, Trunks, right? I'm not leaving you alone to wither away. You mean too much to me."
With that having been said, Bulma retreated into the darkness towards Capsule Corp. Her eyes glassy at the sight of her only son so deep in depression. She never should have let him go to the past. It was too much for his poor soul to handle. She should have gone, not her son. Why had she let him? Why had she willingly allowed him to do something that she deep down knew would bring him so much pain?
Because she was weak. Because she had not wanted to feel that pain. Because she vainly hoped that he would not become attached, vainly hoped that he would transcend the pain.
What a fool she was.
~~~~~
Seconds to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years.
And still Trunks prayed for death to come, for fate to be merciful.
~~~~~
She lay on her bed, weak and unable to move. Trunks had been home a lot more recently. He knew the same as her, her life would end soon. He sat beside her bed in a chair, pulled close, holding her hand gently in his.
A solitary tear escaped her eyes, a tear for the person she was leaving behind. Please, Kami, let him find a reason to live on when I'm gone. She knew he had stayed alive for her benefit and she feared that with her death, Trunks would feel free to do with his life as he see fit...end it.
Her breathe came in short gasps as she prayed fervently for a miracle for her son. Don't let his life end this way, in pain, he deserves so much more. He deserves everything he left behind in the other timeline. If only he could return there...if only we hadn't destroyed the time machine...if only I had built him another...if only I had more time with him...if only I could tell him how much I love him one more time.
So many 'if onlys'...so many...
Azure met azure, unspoken words were exchanged, and one soul departed from its bodily confines.
~~~~~
Trunks was laying on his back, he could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin, the cool of the grass beneath him. His quiet breathing the only audible sound for miles. Far away from people, far away from reality. This was how he loved to spend his days, simply content to lay back and relish in the wonders of peace and nature.
As much as he may love peace though, he wondered daily if he would ever, rather could ever, find peace within his own soul. Was it possible, in a time of peace, for a warrior, who is no longer needed, to silence the urge, often the need, to fight?
Perhaps that was where his problem resided. His inherent need to be in a constant state of battle. Was it possible that he was creating his own personal problems so that he may have an opponent with which to fight? Could that truly be?
His mind toyed with the idea, bouncing it back and forth within the recesses of his mind. But how, he wondered, could he create from his imagination this incredible feeling of loneliness? The feeling that was amplified intensely by his mothers departure from this dimension.
Trunks sighed, exhaustion beginning to grasp his whole being. He stood on unsteady legs and viewed the setting of the sun, amazed at how with its departure it took all light and warmth.
Desperate to keep himself from despair, he thought of how, despite the sun's retreat, leaving the world cold, it always returned every morning to shed its light and warmth. He shook his head at how foolish he was to wish his own demise. How he must have worried his mother so, especially in her last few moments. She feared what he would do without her around to guide him on a straight path.
He looked despairingly down at his hands, the hands that had defeated the androids and Cell of this timeline. And yet he couldn't use them to save himself. He felt so guilty, as if an acid were eating its way through his soul.
He had been searching for something ever since he had returned from the other timeline, searching for a cure to his loneliness, to this feeling of utter desolation. But perhaps, he was not searching in the right places. How was he ever going to find happiness if he continued to seclude himself from society?
He had built barriers between his mother and himself and now that he realized how inane that was of him, it was too late, she was already gone from this world. All she wanted was for him to find solace in the world, to find his place and live out his days in peace.
Trunks felt dreadful, his mother had been through so much in her life and yet always had time to do so much for him. And how had he repaid her? He had nearly killed her with worry about whether or not he would end his own life after her death. He was such a fool.
Don't worry though, mother. I vow to you, that I will find peace in this world, I will live my life as you wished me to, and I will always cherish you in my heart, my dear mother.
A lone tear slipped down his cheek, unchecked by his hands, clenched in determined fists by his side. He had thought that with the defeat of the androids and Cell it would be the end of his battles, but rather it was the beginning of his struggle with his inner turmoil.
And as the sun disappeared from view, the last of its shining rays gone, Trunks blasted off towards home, with a new mission in life, to live it, and most importantly to live it without the shadows of the past haunting him.
~~~~~
Well, I hope this is more pleasing to all of you out there. This isn't the end though. I plan on adding a few more chapters, so please review and let me know what you think of the changes!