Chapter 47

Final Solutions

Trunks could feel the burns even before he hit the ground, and the trench his body dug as he slid through the hard clay did little to ease his pain. The blast had hurled him no less than four miles, and yet he could still feel the pounding of Black's newfound energy in his head.

For a moment, he was disheartened. Power like that was unimaginable, he thought. Even Gohan, wielding the kais' power in a Saiyan body, had never approached this. Then, returning to his senses, he took flight in search of Gohan. If he could find him, surely things would work out. He could always depend on Gohan.

When he found him, Gohan was leaned back against a large boulder breathing deeply. "Hey." He said breathlessly as he landed beside him. "You alright?"

"Been better. Been worse, too." The younger Saiyan said between deep breaths.

"You don't seem too worried?" Trunks replied.

"...I trust myself." Gohan said calmly, dragging himself out of the dirt laboriously. "I finally realized that you're right. I always respond when the chips are down. He's still using kai energy and he just turned into a Super Saiyan– now that I've felt it, I think I can mimic it."

"Yeah?" Trunks asked, almost excitedly, "Well that's good news, 'cause I'm thinking I might be a little out of my depth here."

"You can do it, too." Gohan said sharply, meeting his elder's gaze as he did. "And you'll have to. He's a fusion now, I can't beat him alone."

Before the conversation could go any further, Black reappeared some fifty feet away from them and smiled, his arms crossed confidently across his body. Aside from their momentary attempt at a strike, this was the closest they had been since his transformation, and it was only now that the Saiyans noticed that his skin, despite maintaining the same light tone as Goten's, now shone like greenish scales in the glow of his new red aura, almost reflecting the light.

"Don't let me interrupt." Black hissed cockily, potarra earrings now adorning each of his ears. "I may have transcended this world, but this Saiyan body still craves violence. If you have a plan, by all means, show it to me."

Gohan met his gaze for a brief moment and drew his fists to his sides, screaming wildly as his clear aura erupted around him, suspending giant clods of dirt in the air before they fired away from him. Trunks stepped back briefly, having never felt such strength from his friend, though his appearance remained the same. Gohan launched himself forward, beginning the battle anew.

Uub watched the pool of blood for a long moment, confused by the image and suddenly oblivious to the world around him. How strange, he thought, that his blood should boil, but fitting in the face of such a disgusting fate. He was beaten, flatly. His body had failed him, leaving him and his master, his best friend, to die, and it enraged him. The boiling seemed to personify everything he felt. No pity, no sense of failure, only fury.

Piccolo dangled for a long moment, but refused to allow himself any pity. He met the kai's gaze harshly, but the monster only smiled back at him and raised him another few inches from the ground. It wouldn't take long, Piccolo thought, before the darkness closed in – this time for good, his soul tied directly to this failing, haloed body.

Without comprehending the transition, Uub found himself in the blood. Or, perhaps, he saw through the blood. Or maybe he was dreaming – he couldn't say, the loss of the blood in question certainly would allow for some hallucination. But however he arrived, he found himself spread wide like a sheet behind the kai as Piccolo dangled helplessly in the air. Uub felt his rage surge like never before, and with only primal instinct to guide him, he struck.

Zamasu scarcely registered the attack before the blood sheet engulfed him. He screamed madly and yanked his arm forcefully away from Piccolo to defend himself, sending the Namek crashing to the ground clinging to consciousness but forcing an eye open.

Zamasu tried to protest, but each time he opened his mouth he found blood surging into it, forcing him to remain silent as he swatted wildly and surged his energy sporadically trying to rid himself of the curtain, but to no avail. The curtain would not relent as it slowly wrapped itself around him, encompassing his legs, arms, waist, and scalp, until only Zamasu's face remained.

He opened his mouth to speak, but only managed a muffled screech before the blood forced itself in and closed around him. Piccolo looked on horrified, but could not bring himself to move, though whether his paralysis was born of injury or terror he could not say.

Uub felt himself devour his prey in a sudden rush, and then he was rushing again, this time back into his body, though he never knew he'd left it. And then he felt another rush as his body began to change, suddenly free of the helplessness that had encompassed him moments before. He felt new power engulfing his form, and then, without explanation, he was on his feet, dripping sweat and breathing deep, heaving breaths, but alive.

"Uub…" Piccolo said, almost whispering from his seated position as he gasped for air. "What have you done?"

Gohan met the monster in the air with everything he had, and to his own surprise, he more than held his own. By sheer force the Saiyan pressed forward in spite of the pressure his opponent returned, superior technique granting him the advantage and pushing the monster into a retreat.

His success was short-lived, however, as the power gap soon became all too apparent. Gohan fired a well-timed left thrust at the monster's jaw, but met only air. When Black reappeared he was inches from Gohan's face, smiling widely with his monstrous, greenish face.

Black's elbow met Gohan's jaw with thunderous force, throwing him violently back to Earth, where his impact jarred the dust harshly from its resting place. He rose quickly and felt his jaw, expecting it to be broken but finding it intact.

"That didn't look good." Trunks observed as he descended beside Gohan, his eyes gazed on the oncoming, smiling fiend ahead.

"Not what I was aiming for." Gohan replied dryly. "That's Super Saiyan energy, but the kai half changes it; it's not as easy to copy as I'd hoped."

"Surely you're not giving up yet." Black echoed as he suddenly reappeared, only 10 yards away.

"Guess I'll take a shot this time." Trunks said, half smiling to himself at the thought of stepping in against such overwhelming force. Gohan started to rise to his feet, but paused momentarily as Black spoke up.

"You?" The monster cackled in his deep, echoing voice.

"Yeah, me." Trunks returned, still smiling to himself. "This is my home – my timeline, my universe. As long as I'm standing it's mine to protect."

At this, Black burst out laughing. "For what?!" he spat insultingly. "There's no one here! We're the only ones on this miserable planet!"

Trunks started to protest but had no response, and could only clench his jaw and hang his head as Black continued.

"Surely you knew. You left. Your desertion comes at a price, just like your heresy."

Trunks's eyes seemed to glaze over, but Gohan interjected for him. "You bastard…

Gohan climbed to his feet and crouched, but relaxed when he felt Trunks's hand on his chest. When he looked at the elder Saiyan, he saw that his pupils had all but disappeared into the green haze filling his eyes. Then he felt his power creeping up, and took a cautious step back.

"'Deserted', huh?" Trunks asked quietly, his energy beginning to swell around him. "I guess that's probably true."

"Go ahead and make your transformation." Black taunted. "You haven't got a prayer."

Trunks's body tensed as his hair erupted in gold and lightning fired across his body, but his head remained hung in defeat.

"Laughable." Black said, almost disappointedly.

"When I deserted you killed them all, didn't you?" Trunks asked.

"Seems like you already know." Black sneered. "Every last one. There's no one for you to protect."

"Then this is my last fight."

The hair on Gohan's neck shot up when Trunks finally raised his head, his eyes now ablaze in red. When he screamed, his aura erupted around him, its color now oscillating wildly from red to orange to yellow like a flame. Black's expression changed, but he could make no other move before the Saiyan's fist met his liver, doubling him over in pain.

Trunks clasped his hands over his head and dropped the axe into Black's exposed back, dropping him to the ground. Confusingly to Gohan, Trunks didn't take the opportunity to pummel him or rise into the air and blast, but lurched at him from behind and locked himself on the monster's back.

The two tussled there for a while, Black clawing his way onto the ground, only for Trunks to jerk his weight and send the two sprawling again, Trunks still ablaze with the fire-like energy.

Gohan watched helplessly as they rolled, Trunks suddenly emitting far more power than he'd ever thought possible, but still somehow overmatched. He nearly jumped in to help, but each time an opportunity presented itself, the two would twist violently again, leaving him little room.

Desperate to hang on and feeling his arms beginning to slip, Trunks used one of the few tools he had left and bit down hard on Black's pointed ear, eliciting a howl of pain from the kai. Now equally desperate to free his ear, Black pried a claw-like hand into Trunks's cheek, intending to rip through it if the Saiyan didn't release him, but to his relief Trunks quickly complied. Unfortunately for him, the Saiyan quickly reattached his teeth to his finger before he could withdraw his hand, chomping again as if he intended to rip it off.

Engulfed in pain and embarrassment from the degrading exchange, Black gritted his teeth and ripped his arm with all his might to free his hand from Trunks's bite. The effort succeeded, though at the cost of most of the skin on his ring finger, and he found himself once again face to face with the mortal.

"Bad mistake!" the kai yelled as he slammed his uninjured palm into Trunk's chest, firing a bellowing purple blast into his body, burning him badly and rocketing him into the distance.

"Trunks!" Gohan yelled.

"Now you!" Black snarled, turning his attention to Gohan, but Gohan's fingers were already on his forehead. Before Black could make a move the Saiyan had disappeared.

Gohan appeared again behind Trunks and caught him, though Trunks's momentum sent them both flying for another hundred yards before Gohan was able to stop them. When he finally did, he gingerly lowered his friend to the ground; all too aware of the strength of the attack he had just taken.

Trunks was badly burned, the fat on his torso bubbling slightly, but though his eyes had returned to a stable Super Saiyan state, he maintained his flaming aura.

"What the hell was that?!" Gohan spat, surprising himself with the outburst, but the mixture of surprise and fear of Black reappearing had sullied his manner. "Are you using god energy?"

"Not sure." Trunks replied flatly, flame-like energy sparking off him as he rose to a knee and spit what Gohan assumed was a tooth into his own hand. "This is my last fight, Gohan. That's all I remember thinking. Next thing I knew he was on the ground, so I jumped on him."

"Trunks, we've got him!" Gohan said excitedly. "That was god energy! You can finish him with this! I mean, he's still stronger, but together we can-"

"Here." Trunks interjected, and held out a closed hand to Gohan's confusion. Hesitantly, he reached out his own hand and took Trunks's tooth, only to open his hand and find a golden ring.

"You took it off with your teeth..." Gohan said as he slowly realized how desperate his friend was.

"I mean to kill him." Trunks said flatly, "But even if I can't, I'm cutting my losses. He's a kai, he'll get to the other universes if I don't kill him here, but I can at least make sure he doesn't get into your timeline, too. Call it my penance for failing my world. I want you to take that and get out of here. Lock us in together."

"Trunks you can't-"

"Gohan. He's a fusion and my energy's draining fast, I can't hold this form for long. Get out of here before he has a chance to take it back."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Black reappeared, his face alight with rage and blood streaming from his hand.

Uub continued to pant deeply, shaking violently as sweat poured from every pore on his body. Slowly, carefully, Piccolo rose to his feet, and Uub was surprised to find that the Namekian didn't look nearly as tall as he had before.

"Uub…" Piccolo whispered, keeping a safe distance as he did. "Uub, are you in there? Can you hear me?"

Wide-eyed, Uub nodded his head. "I'm right here." He finally said, "Don't you know me?"

Piccolo couldn't stop himself from quaking as he examined the man before him. He was no intimidating man, well under six feet tall and thin, but energy pulsated off his form even without effort, wild flashes of static electricity firing across his form for several seconds until he finally caught his breath.

Uub was still Uub – Piccolo felt sure of that. His energy was the same, he had the same skin tone, and when he spoke he felt it was Uub's voice, though deeper and more mature. But he was different, too. Moments before he had been a child, scarcely up to Piccolo's waist in height, but now he stood to his shoulders, his mohawked hair now icy white, and his eyes had turned a hazy green, sending chills down his spine when their gazes met.

"It's still me, Piccolo." Uub said calmly as he strode forward. Half a pace from the beaten Namekian he extended an open palm, causing Piccolo to briefly flinch in anticipation of an attack. Instead, his hand began to glow, and the Namek found his strength returning to him, his badly beaten body now healthy again.

Piccolo stammered for a moment, but couldn't begin to find the first question to ask. Then, confidently Uub cut him off. "Let's go home." He said, and strode toward the marble arch of the garden, leaving the old, dead kai alone in the garden.

Piccolo stood alone in shock for a long moment, staring at the new creation before him. Finally, decided to follow the man. As he took his first step toward the arch, a glimmer of light caught his eye, reflecting off a piece of metal on Uub's right hand.

Trunks and Black stared each other down for a long moment, a shimmering glow surrounding Black, and wild, flame-like energy flickering off of Trunks. Gohan rose, too, but didn't seem to know what to do. "Five seconds, then open it up." Trunks said to Gohan's confusion, never breaking his stare down with Black. Then, one last time, he dared to look away from long enough to lock eyes with his mentor, "You were always my hero, Gohan." Then he moved.

Five.

Before Gohan had a chance to register what was happening, the action had begun. Trunks fired a blast at Black's feet and fired into the air, the enraged villain giving chase at incredible speed as they rose higher and higher and higher.

Four.

The two met in the air and began warring like lions, neither one giving the other an inch of space in the furious melee, their auras emitting enough light to color the sky around them a shimmering greenish tint.

Three.

To Gohan's horror, Trunks lost the exchange. Black's flattened hand met the Saiyan's side and disappeared up to his wrist. Trunks grasped the monster's forearm with both hands to stop the penetration, but couldn't pull it out. As the two locked eyes a smile spread across Black's face, and Trunks coughed blood onto the front of his shirt as his flaming aura disappeared. Gohan felt the pit of his stomach drop deeper than it ever had before.

Two.

Gohan was in the air even before he knew it, speeding to Trunks's aid with his fist aglow and a battle cry in his throat, but stopped himself short. Inexplicably, the two combatants before him began careening toward Earth – not falling, but purposefully gaining speed - despite Black clearly struggling against it. Trunks had Black's forearm grasped tightly in his hands, Black's hand still buried in his stomach, and was hurtling them both toward the Earth with all the force he could muster, his fiery aura now encompassing them both like a rocket reentering the atmosphere.

One.

Gohan panicked – he wanted to stop, he wanted to think, he wanted to help Trunks, he wanted Goku, he wanted anyone – but all he had was himself, and his friend's last request. "Open it up." So he fired.

Gohan's blast met the Earth a fraction of a second before Trunks and Black did, a tunneling crater opening for them to disappear into, never to be seen again.

"TRUNKS!" He screamed to no avail. A second later, a bellowing impact sounded in his ears, and the crust of the Earth beneath him began to boil and burst with lava.

He hung in the air for a long moment and watched as the boils spread across the Earth's lifeless form in every direction as far as the eye could see. Soon, fiery cracks began to appear along the Earth's plates, as death itself seemed to encompass the planet. Every inch of the planet seemed to let out a dying screech as Gohan's attack met the core, followed soon after by Trunks and Zamasu. Death had surely taken them, too.

As he watched the planet crumble, he had never felt so alone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Trunks's ship get swallowed by a massive fissure in the distance, but his heart could sink no lower. It was only right that he should die here, too.

Gohan looked down at his hand where the ring Trunks had given him was now burning too hotly to be ignored. He thought of home – of Videl, of his mother, of an end to this terrible nightmare. The ring glowed lightly, and he was there. Back in his bedroom, alone in the dark, quiet, calm, shocking familiarity of home.

He heard his wife stirring busily in the kitchen and fell to his knees, leaning helplessly against the bed for support, and soon felt hot tears enter the cuts on his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.

"Gohan?" Videl asked aloud.