RECONSTRUCTION
A Future Spin-Off to Twice Upon a Time
By NinjaWhisper
Summary- It all fell apart and Bulma had to manage the pieces. Alone, she raised her son in a desolate apocalyptic world. Strong-willed and brave, she accepted this fate, moving on despite hope only coming to another timeline and not her own. Then he came back. . . and they had a new task- fixing something that was never whole to begin with.
Disclaimer- Dragon Ball Z is owned by Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation
Chapter 9
Trunks must have bumped his head. The last thing he remembered was frantically typing in the coordinates for the closest planet, which happened to be Yardrat. He remembered Goku explaining that the Yardrats were the ones to nurse him back to health and teach him instant transmission. They were a peaceful and weak race, but also skilled in fantastic mental abilities. If they were going to crash land on a planet, this one was a good choice.
He woke to the bitter scent of smoke. He lifted his head from the dashboard and tried to open his eyes but they stung. He caught a glimpse of thick haze before squinting. It was then that he realized that the ship had stopped. Somehow, while unconscious, the ship must have landed through autopilot. Trunks coughed and gagged as he made his way through the spaceship.
"Father!" Trunks called. He groped along the wall and tried to ignore the throb on his forehead. Orange flames arose from the back of the ship, snatching out, and ready to engulf the entire vehicle. He'd seen fires made by the androids that wiped out entire blocks in the city and he shivered at the comparison. Vegeta might be lost in those flames. The thought of losing his father before he even got to know him made him press on in determined desperation. There was no way they could have this bad of luck. No way. He and his mother were good people, and even if Vegeta was in the gray area they deserved some returns. No, his father wasn't dead again, he wouldn't allow it. That would just be too unfair.
Saiyan skin was tough and could withstand bullets, but heat from all directions could burn away at even a Super Saiyan's cells if exposed long enough. Plus, if gotten into the lungs, a person could suffocate. Before venturing into the inferno, Trunks ripped off some cloth from his sleeve and created a barrier over his mouth and nose. He shifted to Super Saiyan in hope that the aura might somewhat shield from the heat. He could hardly see and his body wanted to sag. Still, he kept going. He heard a creak of metal and then a snap. The flames obviously were coming from the engine room, but he was reluctant to go in. It seemed to be nothing but fire, an entire room of fire. Was his father in there? Should he attempt it?
The image of his mother in his mind gave him the courage to step forward. She had faith in their family and he wouldn't take that away from her. Before he ventured into the mass of blaze, his boot hit something. Trunks crouched and discovered it was Vegeta. The man must have escaped the engine room before it became too hazardous. The young man scooped up his father like a sack of flour and trudged toward the exit.
There was no power for the door so Trunks smashed it down with one ki blast. They emerged and Trunks sputtered and coughed. He almost lost balance, but managed to get Vegeta to the ground gently before he gave out. He fell to his knees and hunched over on all fours, gasping in lung-fulls of air. At first, Trunks was worried about Vegeta's condition. The prince was covered in soot and there were burns on the side of his face, but he noticed the slight wince Vegeta gave and the suck of breath.
They couldn't stay there. The ship could blow at any moment. Trunks forced himself up and grabbed Vegeta by the arms, dragging him back and away from the chaos. Vegeta moaned something that seemed like words but couldn't be made out. When they were far enough away, Trunks stopped and dropped, legs out, leaning back on his elbows.
That was when he allowed himself to take in their surroundings. The sky was dark yellow and the ground a rocky indigo. Giant pillars of purple rock sprung up in random places. It was a weird and foreign landscape, something Trunks had never encountered, and it made him feel secluded and small.
Father and son remained there for a few hours. The sky got darker. Trunks noticed there was no moon and he could hardly see. If needed, he could create a torch with a ki blast. Vegeta became restless and muttered things in his sleep. He caught Freeza's name and surprisingly Bulma's.
Trunks rolled onto his right side and propped his head on his arm. He allowed his weary eyes to close and for sleep to take him. Rain stirred his senses and he gradually opened his eyes. The water splashed against the side of his face. The ground didn't soak up the water and he found that they were practically swimming. Trunks scrambled up and hoisted his father yet again over his shoulder and partially over his back.
The journey was slow and long. A few times Trunks had to lean against one of the rock pillars to regain his breath. The sky lightened and the rain finally ceased to a mere drizzle. Cacaws of giant featherless birds came and Trunks scrambled back when a blur of gray swooped down near them to snatch up a strange creature similar to a rabbit.
Trunks wondered what would happen if they were truly stranded there. The planet's atmosphere was far from appealing. But then again, the smashed buildings at home were yet to offer luxury. The trip to the past had run its risk of being one-way and he knew this one had been the same. No risk, no gain. He had no regrets of leaving Earth. There was still hope that their efforts would pan out.
Trunks began to stumble and he realized that he was extremely dehydrated. His foot hit a stone and father and son tumbled. Vegeta grunted and stirred. Both his hands twitched. Trunks sat up, attempting to shake off the dizziness in his head.
"You fool, where the hell are we?" Vegeta choked. His voice sounded as dry as the desert in Trunks' mouth.
Trunks scooted over. Vegeta spoke with his eyes closed. The burned flesh on his face seemed less severe now and his Saiyan healing must have kicked in. Still, neither one of them were in the best of shape. They needed rest and water.
"Father, how do you feel?"
"Fucking fantastic," Vegeta said with sarcasm. "I asked you a question. Where are we?"
Trunks smiled. His father would be just fine. "Yardrat, I think. At least, that was where I directed the ship to land."
Vegeta parted his eyes into slits. "Yardrat? So, we're on a more uncivilized planet than Earth. That's great. We'll be lucky if we find enough parts to repair the ship."
For a moment Trunks didn't know how to break the news. He paused in hesitation. "The ship is gone. We barely made it out of there before it pretty much exploded."
Vegeta did a very surprising thing- he laughed. He laughed so hard he began to cough, and when he was done he seemed very pissed off. He opened his eyes and sat up with effort. He glanced down at his charred clothes and glowered.
"There's got to be a town around here. We just have to keep moving," Trunks said.
With a huff, Vegeta said, "Yeah, if town is the right word for it. I'd call it more like a few huts in a row."
"You've been on Yardrat?" Trunks asked with interest. If his father knew about Yardrat then that could be to their advantage.
Vegeta frowned deeper. "Never, but we studied their culture. This planet was on Freeza's list for purging, but it kept getting pushed back and replaced by more advanced and prosperous worlds."
"But you know some things. What about their language?"
His father considered this. "Their language is simple. I can speak the basics."
"Great!"
Vegeta just stared. Then he turned his head as if he sensed something. Trunks followed his gaze to find a group of seven aliens walk in their directions. They were pink skinned with blue speckled heads and wrinkled foreheads. The Yardrats held chisels as if they were going to go mine in a cave. All of them had easy-going expressions that reminded Trunks of Goku. No wonder he'd fit in so well on the planet.
"Just as they were described," Vegeta whispered. "Weak, primitive, and foolish."
"But, Father," Trunks whispered back," They taught Goku instant transmission. They must be smart. If we learn instant transmission we can get out of here."
"I'll be the one to learn instant transmission," Vegeta commanded like the prince he was.
Trunks understood and nodded. He would allow his father this dignity and honor of knowing something he did not.
The next thing they knew, all seven pink Yardrats had popped in front of them. They lowered their chisels and spoke together in a chirping language. Their faces were friendly and their squinty eyes sparkled through gigantic eyelids. Somehow Trunks got the impression they could tell that they were not enemies. Could they have some sort of psychic ability?
Vegeta sighed and spoke back. His voice sounded quite humorous and Trunks couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" Vegeta snapped.
"I didn't know your voice could go that high," Trunks said.
"Oh, shut up!"
The Yardrats bobbed their heads and smiled. Then they motioned with their hands for them to follow.
"They want to treat our wounds and then take us to see their elder," Vegeta explained.
Trunks got up and offered Vegeta a hand, even though he knew he wouldn't take it. He was right, and Vegeta refused the offer, determined to walk on his own. Still, Trunks detected a lessoning in his foul mood from back on the ship.
The Yardrats escorted them to their village. As Vegeta said, it wasn't extravagant, and their houses looked like boulders pushed together with slanted roofs. Four blue skinned Yardrats that appeared female cleaned their wounds and applied anointment. Trunks' gash on his forehead was bandaged with cloth.
The elder lived at the top of a steep hill with stone steps. A few statues of animals lined the way as they rose. Trunks found it all fascinating but Vegeta moved with his arms crossed and eyes straight ahead, all business. Trunks expected to find a leader on a throne but instead their elder sat on a woven rug, eating out of baskets and clay bowls. He offered to share, which of course they did, because no Saiyan ever declined a meal. The food consisted of nuts, dried fruits, jerky, fried bread, and some pastries. Trunks found it satisfying but he worried his father would miss cooked meat. If he did, Vegeta said nothing and his face remained neutral.
The elder gazed at them both with wisdom and Trunks suspected why they selected him as chief. He was a pink skinned Yardrat, a little shorter than the rest, and pretty old. His ears were pointed to the sides, which made him look kind of cute.
"He wants permission to touch your head," Vegeta said.
Trunks blinked. "Uh, sure, but why?"
Vegeta shrugged. "How the hell should I know?" He exchanged a few words. "The elder says that this will allow him to 'see' you."
That was intriguing. Trunks leaned forward in invitation. "Okay."
The elder's hands were wrinkly and dry. He cupped them around Trunks' crown and closed his eyes in concentration. Then he hummed. A vibration came from the elder's touch and Trunks felt warm, and very calm.
When the elder stopped he smiled, pleased. He said something to Vegeta and Vegeta spoke back. Trunks wanted to know what was said but Vegeta refused to say.
"He thinks you are a 'good sorts'," was all he would offer.
Something more had been said than that. He knew by the way Vegeta had spoken. It was as if he were proud about something. He couldn't have been talking to the elder about him, could he? If so, that would have been a miracle- a true step forward.
