The wave collided, and the world around him faded to black. While he physically felt the pain, his mind could not register it. Every time he destroyed a planet, millions of people would suffer this fate. White-hot electricity burned and scorched every cell in his body, ripping apart the very fabric of his being. The entirety of his existence was amounted to nothing but hatred and death, devoid of any meaning or purpose. Now as the icy fingers of the void took hold, he welcomed them with bitter resignation.
When the smoke cleared, not a trace of him remained. Every cell in his body had been disintegrated to nothing, and the cooling breeze in the pass blew away what particles that were left.
Trunks' eyes fluttered open. He heaved himself up to his hands and knees and took a look around, wincing from the pain of his broken ribs. The sky was a pale blue, and the sun was hidden behind a sheet of clouds, just now dispersing. The clouds parted, letting streams of golden sunshine illuminate the broken battlefield. Entire mountains were reduced to rubble, and dust and debris littered the canyon.
He gasped when he saw Aria in the sky, the pass still echoing traces of her war cry. The Galaton's energy signal had disappeared. She did it!
Vegeta tossed off some rocks that situated themselves on top of him, and got to his feet.
He broke into a devilish grin upon no longer sensing the creature.
Aria was still in the sky, gasping from the tremendous exertion. Her hair was ebony again, and was matted and tangled from the wind. She dripped with sweat, and her muscled burned from using her body as a vessel for an electrical current. When she finally cleared her head, she scanned the area. Her eyes lit up like diamonds.
Marcus was gone.
She threw an aching fist into the air and let out a joyful shout. It was finally over.
After a few moments of bliss, she floated down to where Trunks and Vegeta were situated. She fell flat on her back onto the ground next to Trunks, nearly delirious with a combination of exhaustion and glee. She let out a boisterous laugh, accompanied by a few tears of relief. Trunks tried to join in, but the pain in his ribs restrained him.
She looked up wistfully at the sky.
I hope I made you proud.
A little flicker entered her eye.
All of you.
Somewhere in Otherworld, two Saiyan ancestors were smiling broadly.
Vegeta stood above the two, still holding his arm on the side of his broken shoulder.
"Well, you actually managed to kill him."
He smirked, but not the way he usually did. Aria noticed it instantly, even in her frayed state. She understood why Trunks fought for this so hard. It was almost impossible to attain Vegeta's admiration, but boy was it satisfying when you did.
And now she was going to revel in it.
"I guess I did. Pretty sweet little technique, huh?"
His smirk turned sour, and he said nothing.
"Come on, admit it."
Still nothing.
Suddenly, Aria heard Goku's voice calling out in the distance. Five figures appeared over the ridge, honing in on the battered Saiyans. All had bright smiles on their faces, but it was Krillin who could hardly contain himself.
"That was incredible!" he burst out as the group landed. "I've never seen anything like it. I mean, wow!"
Aria grinned sheepishly, then coughed to clear her throat.
"Finally some recognition," she joked.
Vegeta rolled his eyes, cursing the pain in his shoulder. Trunks spat up some blood and clutched at his chest.
"Hey, don't we get a bit of credit?" he forced a chuckle.
Aria laughed and grasped his hand.
"I couldn't have done it without you."
She gazed up at Vegeta.
"Both of you."
"Oh man," said Goku, scratching the back of his head, "You guys are looking worse for wear. Looks like a trip to the lookout is in order."
"Where's that?" asked Aria dizzily.
"Yeah, Dende'll fix you right up."
"Who's that?"
"You'll see," Goku said impishly, "Everyone, gather around me. Make sure we're all touching."
He bent down and placed a hand on both Aria and Trunks. The rest of the group gathered around Goku, each one grabbing onto his shoulders.
"Here we go!"
"But wh—" Aria began.
Before she could finish her sentence, they disappeared.
She gasped as she took in the sight.
They rematerialized in front of a temple, made of white stone and a three-tier domed tower in the center. There was a covered archway underneath the first gold dome, and the carpeted walkway leading to it was lined with palm trees. The rest of the massive structure was slightly hidden behind a string of young pines, with two smaller domed areas flanking the larger. The white tile surrounding the palace reminded her of the GR; even the coldness on her skin brought back chills. She could hardly believe her senses.
Two shapes appeared in the archway, and began walking towards the group. One was a medium-sized, green man that starkly resembled Piccolo. The other was a short, plump creature with jet-black skin, wearing a turban over his pointy ears and harem pants.
"Goku, Gohan, everyone!" the green man beamed, "It's so good to see you all again. You must tell me everything about the battle that just occurred!"
"Hey Dende," Goku said happily, "I guess it was hard not to sense, huh?"
"That dark energy," Dende shuddered, "It was so horrible. But that odd power level I sensed that extinguished it; it wasn't you, was it?"
Goku shook his head. He gestured to Aria, who was still breathing hard on the ground.
"Extraordinary!" Dende breathed.
"We'll tell you everything," Goku said quickly, "But some of us are pretty beat up. I barely did any fighting, so don't worry about me."
Dende snapped into focus.
"Of course! I'll get right to work."
He knelt down next to Aria and put both hands in front of her body. Healing pulses flowed from his palms and into her, filling her with refreshing energy. Her eyes snapped open and her breathing slowed to normal. When he was finished with her, he moved onto Trunks, and eventually Vegeta.
"This is great!" Aria chirped, flexing her fingers. "It's like a Sensu bean on steroids."
Vegeta rolled his freshly healed shoulder in its socket, testing it out with a few forward punches. Trunks got to his feet and inhaled deeply, relieved to find his ribs fully healed.
"Thanks, Dende. We sure owe you," he said.
Dende smiled.
"You three saved the Earth, it's the least I can do."
He diverted his gaze to Aria.
"So you are the source of that miraculous power level?"
Aria grinned sheepishly.
"I don't believe we've met," he continued.
"Oh, right!" she laughed, "I'm Aria, Aria White."
The plump figure to Dende's side said nothing, maintaining a pleasant smile.
"So, who is this?" asked Aria.
"I am Mr. Popo," said the short man, "I serve as an assistant to the guardian of the earth. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure's—wait, WHAT? The guardian of the earth?"
She looked perplexedly at Dende.
"Then why didn't you come with us to the battlefield? You must be very powerful!"
Dende blushed.
"Not really. It doesn't work that way."
Aria looked down at her feet.
"Oh. Well, thank you so much for healing me, sir."
"Please, call me Dende."
"Alright."
Aria put a hand on her chin.
"So, how does being the guardian of the earth work?"
Dende went on to explain the power of the Dragonballs, the wishes that could be made and so on. Aria had a basic understanding thanks to her Saiyan companions, but Dende had a much deeper knowledge. She listened intently throughout.
Vegeta had finished his exercises, and had made his way over to confront his son. He folded his arms.
"We have unfinished business."
Trunks' heart sank. As usual, the glory of victory didn't last long.
"Let's have it then," he grumbled.
The two meandered away from the group, walking side by side.
"When did you first ascend?"
"Just in that moment," Trunks answered honestly, "I knew I could for some weeks, but it didn't feel right at the time."
"And you kept this from me because?"
Trunks sighed.
"Because I didn't think you'd care, or you'd hate me for it."
The boy had a point. At the time, in his state of mind, he probably wouldn't have cared.
"Hatred of an ascension is a privilege reserved for Kakarot alone," Vegeta murmured.
There was an awkward silence between the two for a moment.
"So?" Trunks eventually said.
Vegeta shrugged.
"So what?"
Trunks let him off with a smirk.
A loud gurgling echoed all the way across the lookout. Everyone turned to stare at the source.
"Man, I'm starving!" Aria boomed, "Do you guys have any food?"
"Is it too much trouble, Dende?" asked Gohan, noting his own empty stomach.
The other Saiyans' stomachs began to rumble too. They hadn't eaten since the early dawn, and it was almost evening.
"Not at all," Dende declared. "As most of you know, Mr. Popo is an excellent cook."
The Namek nodded to the short man, who promptly exited to begin preparations.
The banquet that evening was a lavish one. A hundred plates piled high with exquisite cuisine lined a long, elegant table inside the temple. Goku challenged Aria to a rice-eating rematch, only to be outdone once again after the twenty-third bowl. The patrons at the table recounted the battle earlier that day, and exchanged jokes at a certain deceased Galaton's expense. Aria pulled a spot on impression; causing half the table to snort out whatever food they were eating. Many laughs were shared, and so were heartwarming stories of battles past.
Aria listened in wonder as Gohan told the story of the Cell Games, and Goku went into detail about his conflict with Frieza. Goten and Trunks took turns re-enacting scenes from their battles as Gotenks against Majin Buu, even performing a mock fusion dance, much to Aria's amusement. But throughout the meal, she couldn't help but stare at Trunks. Both exchanged flirty glances, which Vegeta (who was sitting beside him) caught on to immediately.
"Alright, what was that?"
Aria blushed, and shoved a cupcake into her mouth.
Trunks stifled his laughter.
"Then you'll answer me," Vegeta snapped, glaring at the boy.
Trunks snatched a Danish from a nearby tray, and Vegeta caught his arm.
"Don't even think about it."
"It was nothing, really," Trunks said nervously, "Let go!"
"Aw Vegeta, let the lovebirds do their thing," Krillin interjected.
Aria nearly choked on her food.
"K—Krillin!" she coughed.
"Aha, I knew it," Vegeta sneered.
"So what?" Trunks objected, wrenching at his arm now, "Can you please let go?"
Vegeta obliged the boy, and crossed his arms.
"Hmph. Could have done better," he mumbled.
Aria scowled, insulted.
"I'm sure Bulma would say the same about you!" she retorted.
"How dare you!" Vegeta snarled, shooting up out of his seat.
"Come on big guy," she taunted, rising from her own chair and gesturing him forward.
Before anyone could object, Vegeta launched himself clear over the table. The two careened backward, and began a small brawl.
Trunks put his head in his hands.
"Why me?"
The table swelled with laughter.
The brawl ended as quickly as it began, with Aria putting Vegeta in a headlock.
She gave him a noogie and set him free, after a few minutes of violent swearing on the part of the Saiyan prince.
The meal was over, and everyone broke off into smaller groups for conversation.
Aria and Trunks peeled off to the outer bit of the Lookout, Vegeta's eyes burning holes in the backs of their necks.
They sat on the edge, letting their legs dangle miles above the Earth. The moon was high in the sky, casting an eerie glow on the white tile.
"Does he ever let up?" she joked.
"Never," Trunks said with a small smile.
Their hands eventually found each other, clasping together. Aria laid her head on Trunks' shoulder.
"So what happens now?" she said softly.
Trunks nuzzled his nose into her hair, gently kissing her head.
"Life goes on."