. . .
Chapter Five:
"Released."
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Bulma stared - - her mouth agape - - at the doctor sitting in front of her. He'd just told her that the ten-year old boy who had been badly injured was , without a doubt, her son. The dental records confirmed it. Of course Bulma would have to see Trunks with her own eyes to fully believe it, but with the doctor's last question,'Mind telling me why your son is still ten when he should be a grown man by now?' Bulma had a sinking feeling that the doctor was planning to make it so she'd never see her son again!
"Are you saying that I had something to do with Trunks' injuries?" Bulma shouted, standing from the chair and grabbing the doctor by the shirt collar. Officer Crew rushed to pry Bulma from the doctor." I can't believe this! I'd never experiment on my own child! How dare you say that!"
"Someone," The doctor cried as Bulma shook him, his head jerking painfully forward and back." Please, get her off me!"
"I'm on it," Officer Crew grunted, pulling Bulma's wrists back and binding them together with plastic handcuffs. Bulma knew she wasn't doing herself any favors by acting violent and crazy, but she couldn't help it. After fifteen years of heartache, she never expected to be accused with her son's disappearance and stunted growth.
Officer Crew led Bulma back to her seat and, pushing down on her shoulders, forcefully made her sit. She glared at the officer, kicked the doctor's desk back an inch, then leaned back in her seat with a loud huff.
"Why didn't you stop him?" Bulma asked, directing her glare at Vegeta, who'd stood by and done nothing the entire time." They're calling me a bad mother! Make them pay for it!"
Vegeta smirked, revelling at the suggestion.
"W-we weren't calling you a bad mother," The doctor stammered, his hands trembling from Bulma's earlier outburst. He had a feeling he wouldn't survive the day if Vegeta wanted to fight." It's just that everyone in the city knows of Capsule Corporation's advances in technology. If Trunks' aging isn't a known, natural, illness, then perhaps it's the result of some experiment?" The doctor hesitantly glanced at Officer Crew. The officer patted his taser gun, then nodded for the doctor to keep speaking. He had his back."Please Mrs. Briefs, I need to know. . . did you give Trunks some type of anti-aging serum? Have you or your father created a Fountain of Youth?"
"No." Bulma responded. She looked at Vegeta, then added." But my husband doesn't age, not physically, anyway. My childhood friend hasn't outwardly aged since he became an adult, either." She rubbed her cheek with her shoulder, unable to scratch her itch without the use of her hands.
Vegeta chuckled. Seeing his woman restrained had been amusing, but if he didn't want to sleep outside for the night, he'd need to free her. Using his finger, Vegeta chopped the plastic handcuffs apart.
"Holy smokes! Did you see that? I've never seen anyone do that before!" Officer Crew shouted, his eyes bulging.
" Yes, there was an exuberant amount of monkey DNA in Trunks' blood system, but I don't think it's his alien side that's stunting his growth. As far as I can tell, there's no answer for why he's still a child. So even if you had something to with this, Mrs. Briefs, I have no proof ." The doctor paused for a second. Bulma looked rational and calm. Still, he spoke warily and kept his guard up." My point is this: No one must know that Trunks has been found. People will come to the same speculation as me, that he'd been subjected to some anti-aging serum that works. He'll be a leper amongst the citizens of Earth, everyone will fear him. The government will want to study him and uncover his body's secrets. For the sake of that boy, no one must know his real identity."
Bulma was disappointed. She'd waited years to be reunited with her son, and wanted to share that happiness with the world. She understood what the doctor was saying, though. Trunks needed to be protected. If telling people that he wasn't her son was going to protect him, then no matter how much it hurt, she'd do it. For him.
"If anyone asks, he's my sister's son whose come to live with me." Bulma whispered, sounding miserable. Vegeta placed his hand over hers, half expecting her to cry like a baby at any second, but her face was hard." After all these years, very few remember what Trunks looked like when he went missing. To be on the safe side, we'll have Trunks go blond when he leaves the house." The doctor frowned, having no idea what she could mean, but she was talking to Vegeta now. He wasn't supposed to know what it meant." I guess he'll need a new name. . ."
"Vegeta." Vegeta said, rather quickly.
Bulma pulled her hand out from under his as if he just caught fire. " You want my nephew to have the same name as his Uncle? People are going to talk."
"It's fine Ma'am," Officer Crew said, waving his hands dismissively." I think Vegeta is a wonderful name. Makes the whole 'sister's son is visiting' story more believable." He winked at Vegeta, letting him know that he was on his side.
Vegeta scowled, never having been one to appreciate help.
The doctor wrote down a few numbers for Bulma to contact. Trunks would need a fake birth certificate and medical records to go to school, plus other documents proving that his new identity - - Vegeta Ouji Briefs, son of Tights Briefs- - was absolutely, in no shape or form, fake! In the middle of writing down the contacts, the doctor and everyone else noticed Vegeta become tense.
"Who is it?" Bulma asked, recognizing his " I'm detecting a strong energy " face.
Vegeta smirked.
'The boy has the same scary glare as Vegeta!' Pan tried to shrink back, but the boy was too strong. The veins in his hands bulged as he crushed into Pan's wrist with more force. His power level was steadily rising. Surely the other's could sense him. ' Why hasn't someone tried to help me? Do they want me to die!' Pan stopped trying to pull away. She didn't like the situation she'd found herself in, ensnared by a boy in a hospital bed. 'If he beats me up or kills me, it'll be embarrassing!' Driven by anger, Pan wrapped her hand around his wrist, returning the painful squeeze." Let go of me!"
The boy looked startled as Pan's power rose to match his own.
Goten finally realised, after testing the seat of a seventh chair ,that he was never going to feel calm. Not until Bulma,Bulla, Vegeta and Pan came back from the hospital.
' I'm sure this is just another trick. It isn't Trunks in that hospital. He's way too strong for anyone to beat up. It's someone else. . . it's not him . . .' Goten kept telling himself this as he paced in his brother's house, but as the minutes dragged on, his opinions began to change, and he was having trouble breathing. ' It might be him this time!' Instead of feeling happy or excited, Goten just felt sick to his stomach. ' Will Trunks forgive me for not breaking our promise?'
Sometime during his inner debate, Goten had stopped moving. He stared out the sliding door, not seeing the fenced yard, green forest, or the sunset colors in the sky. He was deep in his thoughts, remembering a promise he made on the rooftop of Capsule Corporation fifteen years ago. Gohan chose that moment to tap on his shoulder.
Goten jumped back.
Gohan rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, and stuffed his glasses into his shirt pocket. He motioned to the fenced yard outside the sliding door." You seem agitated. Maybe a quick sparring match will help calm your nerves before dinner time."
Goten's nose twitched at the word 'dinner.' Close by, around the corner to be exact, Chichi and Videl were hard at work, cooking . He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of boiling rice and brown gravy. His stomach growled.
"You can spar with me or," Gohan shrugged, opening the slider door." You can spar with Mom, Videl, and Marron. It's up to you."
"Marron's here?" Goten frowned, trying to remember when Marron came over. Earlier, he had heard Marron's voice asking him if he was alright. She sounded far away, so he didn't answer her. Goten grimaced. ' If I try to steal food before dinner, she'll be the first one to whack me with a frying pan. I just know it!' " Uh, I'd rather fight you. At least I'd stand a chance." Goten whispered, following Gohan outside.
"A five second chance, maybe." Gohan retorted.
"Five seconds is all the time I need, Brother,"To prove his point, Goten swung his right fist, connecting, hard, into Gohan's jaw.
Gohan planted his feet firmly into the ground to keep himself from sliding away. It was a good punch, better than he anticipated. Normally, it took a five minute warm up before the fight became serious. Gohan rubbed his jaw, knowing there'd be a small bruise there tomorrow." Nice hit. " He smirked, transforming into a Super Saiyan."But I let you hit me."
"Sure you did," Goten chuckled, also transforming into a Super Saiyan. He narrowed his eyes in on Gohan's abdomen. Using both fists, he attacked.
The boy's monitors beeped frantically as his power rose at an alarming rate. Within a few seconds, a powerful aura had enveloped them both, frying the monitors, and pushing back the door the nurses were desperately trying to open.
'There's no way he can be this strong! That's impossible!' Pan dug her fingernails into the boy's wrist, yelling loudly as she powered up to maximum power, holding nothing back. She smirked at the boy's expression." It's not too late to give up kid."
Inside, Pan was hoping the boy would give up and let her go. 'I don't know how long I can keep this up. I'm using too much power. He's going to break my hand at this rate!'
Sweat beaded down the boy's face, and he took deep breaths like a woman in labor.
Pan instantly felt guilty. 'What am I doing picking a fight with a boy in a hospital bed? Mama and Papa will ground me if this kid dies because of me! I don't think I could forgive myself, either. Maybe I should be the one to power down first?'
"I wont give up! I'll never give up!" The boy shouted, almost hysterical. He wasn't seeing Pan. The boy was somewhere else, reliving his experiences at that unimaginable place before being found half-alive.
Pan's blood turned cold as she noticed the boy's eyes changing from blue to a pupil-less green. His hair stiffened and rose, flashing into a glowing yellow color every two seconds, reminding her of a lightbulb about to burn out.
'He's turning into a Super Saiyan!' Pan clenched her teeth, grimacing at the memory of sparring with Vegeta, Bulla, Goten and Gohan when they turned into Super Saiyans. It wasn't fun. She'd been sore for weeks! And Bulla had almost killed her once! She didn't know the boy, so what would stop him from going through with killing her? Nothing!
"You win!" Pan whimpered,drastically lowering her power and feeling the crushing force of the boy's deadly grip. She fell to her knees, burying her face into the warm blanket, hiding her tears from the boy. She wasn't strong. She couldn't turn into a Super Saiyan like the rest of her family members, and it shamed her.
With a loud gasp, the boy let Pan's hand go. His spiked hair dropped upon his forehead, changing back to its normal purple shade as he collapsed into the pillow. For several minutes neither spoke as they struggled to catch their breath.
"Who are you?" The boy finally asked, his voice sounding coarse and weakened from his earlier transformation.
Pan wiped away the tear stains left on her cheeks and lifted her head. She gave him a thin smile." My name is Pan Son." She blew her nose into the blanket, close to the boys knees, and giggled at his expression. She was disgusting, but the boy didn't have the energy to tell her so. She could see from the way he was squinting that it was a battle to keep himself awake." I'm Gohan and Videl's daughter. I would ask you your name, but I already know it. Your Trunks Briefs, Bulma and Vegeta's son." Pan frowned. Trunks was much shorter than she thought he'd be.
"Liar. Gohan doesn't have a daughter."
Pan stood up and swung her finger down on the tip of his nose like a sword. Trunks didn't even flinch."I am not a liar! Gohan and Videl are my parents!" Out of anger, Pan shot a blast through the curtain, and shattered one of the room's windows.
The boy pushed himself closer to his pillow and away from Pan. She was gifted with scaring kids and adults, apparently this didn't exclude half-Saiyan children.
". . . You don't look like your parents. . ." Trunks said, feigning a cockiness Pan easily saw through. Either he couldn't believe it, or he enjoyed arguing with people.
Pan clenched her fists. It's true that she didn't look much like either of her parents. She didn't have spiky hair or above average intelligence like Gohan, and she didn't have her mother's petite height or blue eyes. She wanted to punch the boy so badly. Instead, she punched the end of his bed, denting it.
"I take after my grandma Chichi."
Everyone said they looked alike, so Pan thought there must be some truth to it. She didn't like comparing herself to someone old, even if that old person was her grandma.
Trunks stared at her.
"What is it now?" Pan snapped, hoping he wouldn't ask why she hadn't turned into a Super Saiyan earlier. Bulla often told her that transforming into a Super Saiyan was easy, like learning how to ride a bike, but Pan couldn't do either.
Trunks tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling lights as he spoke." I don't ge it - -"
"I can fly home and get my birth certificate if you want." Pan said, crossing her arms as she glared down at the boy.
"No. I belive you,"Trunks shook his head." It's just, I don't understand how Gohan could have a daughter. . . Did he get some girl pregnant in highschool?"
"Huh? My Dad?" Pan pointed to herself. Her faced reddened as she thought about her father ,as a teenager, being intimate with someone that wasn't her mother. She shook those scary thoughts out of her head and waved her hands in the air." We're talking about the same Gohan, right? The one who goes to bed before nine, eats all his vegetables and forces me to eat them too , and listens to everything grandma Chichi says? THAT Gohan?"
Trunks smiled."You're right. He doesn't have it in him to knock someone up."
"You're one vulgar little kid." Pan muttered. Feeling like she should stick up for her dad, Pan added," He does too have it in him. I'm here aren't I?"
Trunks' smile curled into a frown. "But. . . It's been two weeks. . . how could he have a kid your age in just two weeks?"
Pan tilted her head to the side and observed Trunks as if he were a complicated math problem that didn't have an answer.
"It's been more than two weeks, son." Vegeta said, pulling the curtain back, revealing himself and the two blue haired women behind him.
"How did you guys get in here?Were you here the whole time?" Pan asked. 'Did they see me break the window?!'
Bulla winked.
"Trunks!" Bulma wailed, throwing her arms around the surprised boy. His eyes widened as Bulla walked to his bedside, stopping next to Pan. He wrapped his arms around his crying mother, then glanced at his father. He didn't have to say anything. The question was easy to read in his eyes, so Bulla answered before Vegeta.
"Hi. I'm Bulla. . . your sister."
Trunks' mouth opened." I have an older sister?"
Except for Bulma's sobs, the room became uncomfortably quiet. Trunks looked at Pan for answers, but she was just as clueless.
"It's true son. Bulla is your sister." Vegeta paused for a moment." She was born a year after you went missing. It hasn't been two weeks, you've been gone for fifteen years."
Trunks looked at his family as if they were strangers. His hands slid from Bulma's back, and his eyes darted around the room. He was disgusted with Vegeta and seemed frightened of Bulla, who looked almost identical to his mother. He didn't know where to look, so he settled on Pan.
'I'm sorry,' Pan mouthed, wishing she could take away some of Trunks' fear, pain, and confusion. Her sympathy only angered Trunks. He scowled at her and buried his face in Bulma's shirt.
The door creaked as it opened. Pan , Bulla, and Vegeta turned towards the noise.
"Sorry to interrupt," The doctor said, sticking his head into the room." But I'll need the parents to sign a few more papers before we can release Vegeta."
"My name is Trunks,"Trunks yelled, then looked at Bulma, suddenly unsure." Isn't it?"
"I'll explain later." Bulma promised, kissing Trunks on the forehead before following the doctor and Vegeta into the hall to fill out the other papers. She peeked into the room every two minutes to make sure Trunks was still there. Except for mumbling " I'm here Mom," Trunks didn't have much to say to anyone. Tired emotionally and physically, he curled into a ball and closed his eyes. Before falling asleep, he whispered something to himself.
To Pan, it sounded like he said," It's all Goten's fault."