Disclaimer: DBZ and its characters don't belong to meTW: Suicide references, Self-Harm, Gore
hey guys! (ugh I'm sorry my notes go weird)here's an angsty one shot for you! I didn't think it fit in with my other oneshot series so I did it separately!enjoy
"Trunks, sweetie, give it a rest, please..."
His mother sighed, watching him throw punches and kicks to the invisible enemy outside the house. The sun was setting, turning the air frigid.
That didn't matter to Trunks.
No, he knew he had poor endurance in severe conditions, the burning heat, the numbing cold, the merciless wind...
The pouring rain.
The thought of the rain, the kind that could drench you after a mere minute, the cacophony inescapable; akin to the rain on...that day.
The thought of it, made Trunks stop. The teen headed back in, his mother chiding him.
"Trunks, look at the state of you!"
The boy had only took notice of his dirt covered clothes that clung to his sweaty body when she had mentioned it, though he didn't know what to say.
"Go take a bath right now! And find something else to wear." She ordered him and he was wise enough to know not to disobey. Sometimes he thought her wrath was more terrifying than the Androids.
Stepping into his room and rummaging through his messy closet, he pulled out something wearable, despite a few holes, which he made a mental note to sew up tomorrow, though deep down he knew that wouldn't come to fruition. Before leaving to shower, he gazed at the calendar near his bed.
'7 months...23 days, 1 hour and 5 minutes.' He squinted trying to read the watch on his bedside table, tilting his head slightly.
That was how long it had been since the moment he found him, lifeless.
Shaking his head, aimlessly trying to rid himself of that feeling, he went to shower, the hot water embracing his skin, running down his arms, past the cuts and bruises.
He partly wished he hadn't done that.
But then the other part told him he deserved it.
Running his fingers, with his jagged bitten nails through his contrastingly soft, light hair, he washed away the thoughts he wanted to get rid of.
They all disappeared but just for a moment.
'This is ridiculous!' He frowned, thinking to himself, letting the water hit his face and body, reminding him again of the rain.
'It's been this long, so why does it still hurt so bad!?'
Tears pricked in his sapphire eyes.
He couldn't tell whether it was from the soap in them or what he felt and so decided to convince himself it was the former, rather than the latter, softly biting his lip and enduring the pain.
He finished as quickly as possible.
His mother said from outside the door that he could come watch TV with her for a bit before bed, but he didn't want to, politely declining.
He always aimed to be polite.
Showering made him sleepy, something he felt often, though actually falling asleep felt like an impossible task, especially now he was gone.
Trunks brushed his teeth after getting dressed again, sighing as he spilt some toothpaste on his washed shirt.
He shook it off, throwing himself onto his bed.
He tossed and turned restlessly, repeatedly sitting up to adjust the blankets and pillows.
That was something he hated about sleeping sometimes, the feeling of the covers and mattress as it creaked, the springs below poking him, was so overstimulating.
He turned to the right, which was right up against the wall and pulled out a book that was in gap between the bed frame and the wall itself and pulled out a book. It was a children's book and he did think it was silly to be so attached to it. He knew every page like the back of his hand, but when he read it, it was as if he was no longer in an apocalyptic world. His fingers lovingly smoothed down the crinkly sepia tone pages, eyes immediately darting to the pictures, illustrating the words perfectly.
However, unlike most days he soon became bored. The book had tired him a little, at least. Trunks turned the other way, facing the picture of him and Gohan on Trunks' 8th birthday, the year Gohan gave him the book he was just reading.
They both appeared to be so happy, as if they hadn't been through so much at a young age. He knew Gohan had it worse though. Trunks wondered if maybe Gohan was glad to be dead, though he knew that idea was morbid.
Smiling softly as he remembered the day in the picture clearly, his eyelids grew heavy and at some point he fell asleep.
"Huh?" Trunks opened his eyes and saw the fluffy clouds floating in the bright blue sky above him, his pillow replaced with the cool grass, which also had become his mattress too.
He sat up, pulling at the blades of grass, to see if it was real. It seemed to be real, the way it fluttered in the breeze and flew away, the scent making him scrunch up his nose.
A butterfly landed on his hand and he slowly lifted it up toward his face, giggling at the tickling sensation of its tiny limbs crawling on him, eventually standing on the tip of his finger, before flying away towards the sun, refracting the light in its translucent wings.
The sunlight gently heated his already tan skin, eradicating the pain from within him.
"Hey, wait!" He childishly stood up to go chase the butterfly, reaching out to it as it teased him, staying close before moving. He laughed, forgetting to question what he was doing here and how he arrived in the field.
The butterfly went in a different direction and he willingly followed it. It reminded him of his book, where the fairies of the forest lead the Prince to the magic cave.
He went through the forest, keeping his eyes on the insect with wings that were slightly purple, he noticed.
"Hey, where are you taking me?" Trunks asked, as if he would get a real response.
He received his answer in the form of a cabin which he instantly recognised.
"This...me and Gohan found this place and made it our own." He spoke, believing the butterfly was listening.
Trunks wistfully smiled upon catching sight of the sign on the door which he made with intense love, but not the best artistic skills.
The door then opened.
"No..." He blinked, watching the butterfly land on Gohan's nose.
Tears silently fell down his face.
"You...you're not real." Trunks squeezed his eyes shut.
"I am, little bro." He placed his hand on the teen's shoulder, making him open his eyes again.
"But...how-" Trunks began.
"Long story...Otherworld decided to break the rules!" Gohan laughed in the way he did, scratching the back of his head.
"I missed you so much!" Trunks sobbed, hugging him.
"I missed you too, little bro." He pulled the teen closer as he cried into his chest.
"Hey, c'mon, Trunks, this is a happy moment! Look at how much you've grown." Gohan pulled back, inspecting the boy, who sniffed, wiping his eyes.
"I-I c-couldn't..." Trunks, still in floods of tears, gasped between words, "li-live without you!"
"But...you're still living...and I'm so proud of you!" Gohan patted his head, smiling as always.
"I'm sorry Gohan, I t-tried to-" Trunks clung onto him, the words spilling out of him so fast.
"I know, I know, I saw you from Otherworld, I was begging you not to do it...but I knew you couldn't hear me...I'm so glad you didn't actually kill yourself." He ruffled the boy's hair in the way he always would.
Trunks recalled getting to around 12 or 13 when he would stop Gohan from doing things like that to him, as he wanted to prove he was no longer a kid, but the reality was he had craved that physical affection, he missed it every day since he died.
"What was Otherworld like?" Trunks, finally with a grip on himself asked.
"Amazing...I saw my dad and everyone again!"
Trunks gasped, and began to tell him everything.
"I gave this amazing speech at your funeral!" It was a strange sentence, he thought after saying it.
"I heard it all...we all did...thank you, it was lovely!"
Hearing his master congratulate him like that made him feel elated. Trunks only now noticed how he was shaking slightly, so full of emotion.
"I became a Super Saiyan!" He boasted and Gohan nodded.
"I figured my death would be enough for that..."
"Want me to show you?!" Trunks excitedly got into a fighting stance.
"No, that's quite alright..." Gohan answered.
"Sorry...I'm just so excited to see you again, it hardly feels real, I've never been so happy!" Trunks talked at a million words per minute.
"I get it, I really do!" Gohan grinned.
"But...I've got a question for you, Trunks."
"Sure, go ahead." Trunks awaited his question with anticipation.
"Why'd you let me die?"
It was like a knife through his heart.
The sun seemed to disappear as Trunks gulped.
"What?" He blinked, confused, feeling a drop of rain land on him.
It wasn't his fault. It wasn't. He told himself that.
"You were so insistent on joining me, if you hadn't had made me knock you out, you could have come save me." Gohan sounded serious.
Then, Trunks noticed lacerations slowly appear on his master's body, the sky growing darker and the gentle breeze becoming violent, the loud sound rushing through all the trees that towered above Trunks, making him suddenly feel miniscule.
"Gohan?" Trunks' voice was quiet, his breathing becoming louder.
"You're injured! How?!" He wanted to move closer to check them but it was as if he was glued to the ground.
"Why did you let it happen?" Gohan asked again, his skin going from his usual lively pink glow to pale, almost blue.
"G-gohan?" Trunks repeated, half sobbing as the rain came down harder, deep gashes and rips in his gi coming out of nowhere.
"You're nothing but a burden."
His master spoke with venom, the shine going out of his eyes.
Trunks tried to move again, but couldn't. The rain fell harder, a lightning strike making him suddenly scream, then he saw something else; blood pouring from holes in Gohan's body, the crimson liquid seeping from his nostrils and the corner of his lips.
"N-no, nonono-" Trunks gasped, realising why these injuries felt so familiar.
"NO! Not again, God, no-" He rapidly shook his head, tears mixed with icy rain falling down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Gohan, no, don't-" He willed his limbs to move and they suddenly broke free, but he was running so slowly, it was almost as if Gohan was moving further away.
"Why don't you save me?"
Gohan's voice, distorted and booming, filled his ears.
Trunks blinked as his vision was so hazy with tears and the rain, and when he opened them, he was greeted with the sight of his best friend, brother and teacher being ganged up on by the androids.
He screamed and finally got close enough, but it was as if there was an invisible wall. He pounded his trembling fists on it, it felt like he couldn't breathe, using the last of his energy to try break through, yet his ki was far too weak.
He knelt down, pressing his palms flush against the barrier, lowering his head to the concrete below him, sobbing as he heard the pained screams of his master that grabbed his aching heart and squeezed on it.
Trunks tried to scream for him, begging them to stop. He heard voices telling him to save him, ones that told him he was a burden, saying it was his fault, they grew louder than the tormented screams of Son Gohan.
The barrier then lifted and the androids were still there beside his master on the ground.
"YOU BASTARDS!" He yelled, launching for them. They kicked him to the ground and cruelly laughed. Trunks scrambled to his feet, landing a solid hit on 18 but it went through her body.
"You can't win."
The two spoke in unison. Trunks helplessly tried to attack them, but they always disappeared into thin air, eventually standing behind Gohan, who lay dead.
"Too late." They said.
"YOU KILLED HIM! Y-YOU DID IT!" Trunks pointed at them, anger welling up in him.
"But you're wrong..." 17 smirked.
"You're the one with the blood all over you." 18 continued.
Trunks lifted his hands to his face.
They were drenched in blood, the same blood that was pouring from Gohan into the puddle below him.
"NO! NO, THAT'S NOT-" He tilted his head back up to respond to them but they vanished.
He tried to wash the blood off in the rain that bombarded him from above, but found that no matter what, it wouldn't go away, only more covered him, a sea of red washing down his arms, soaking his sweater, tainting his hair.
The rain was no longer water.
It was blood.
His blood.
He ran over to the corpse, frantically trying to do something.
"Please, Gohan, I'm sorry, it wasn't me, I didn't, I-I love you, I wouldn't-"
"Then why did you let me die?"
The corpse, with a mixture of rainwater and blood seeping from it and translucent skin that revealed the capillaries and veins from within spoke, with pupil-less eyes.
"Why do you keep letting them die?"
It spoke again.
Rising from the ground and from within cars and buildings, like schools, hospitals and houses, dead people emerged, all with visible injuries and holding their dismembered organs and limbs, came outside and surrounded Trunks.
Trunks saw the school children crying blood, the people carrying their guts, people with shards of glass and rubble piercing them, everyone he failed to save.
They pointed at him, repeating things like "you killed us" and "It's your fault".
Trunks closed his eyes tight, denying it all, the people getting closer and closer, he could hear their voices pierce him.
"NOOOO!"
He screamed, making the world shake and the sound of them faded away.
He opened his eyes and saw the cracked ceiling of his bedroom.
"Huh? It-It was just a dream?" He said to himself, aloud, panting hard, wiping the cold sweat off of his brow.
Trunks sat up on his bed, then glanced at his hands to see that they were clean, not drenched in blood and felt relieved.
While he was glad to not be really in such a situation, he was still unnerved. He just kept trying to tell himself that it wasn't true, that it wasn't his fault, but he was unsure on what to believe now.
He scratched at his arms, but told himself he wouldn't go back to doing that, so to clear his head, went to the kitchen go grab himself a glass of water.
He picked up a glass from the table and jumped and almost dropped it when his mother walked in.
"Goodness, it's just me!" Bulma laughed.
"Sorry...you just scared me a bit, that's all..." He nervously chuckled, pouring himself the drink and sipping at it slowly.
"I thought you went to sleep?" His mother questioned, getting a drink herself.
"Uh...I did, but I woke up." He sat down at the table next to her.
"Right...more nightmares?" She put her arm around him, making him feel at ease.
He paused then nodded.
"Oh...I'm sorry." She drank her juice then took his empty cup.
"Make sure you use the bathroom before you go to bed, remember when-" She began.
"Mom!" He groaned, his face a tinge of pink, recalling his childhood... issues.
"Okay, okay, sorry, Mr Big boy!" She rolled her eyes. "I forgot you aren't a kid..." Bulma sighed, smiling.
"You're growing up way too fast, huh?"
She flicked his nose, making him grin, before turning to leave.
"Mom?" He called out to her.
"Hm?" She could see he was nervous but came closer and gave him a soft, warm look.
"Do you..." He half-whispered, "Do...you think Gohan dying...was because of me?" He finally spat it out, not making direct eye contact.
She cupped his face with her warm hands, and answered, "No, of course not! We've been through this, Trunks...it's the androids who did that, and everything else..."
She kissed his forehead tenderly and let go of him.
"Come on...you deserve some rest." With that, she left, not taking her own advice and opting to work.
"Night, mom...I love you." He said before heading back to his room, loud enough for her to hear.
He hoped she was right. She usually was.
'Good night, Gohan...I know...it wasn't me, but...still...I'm sorry.'
He thought, before sneaking out to train. He couldn't let the others die either.
'I'll save you this time.'
