REASON
Disclaimer: The Dragonball characters and concepts do not belong to me. I am not making any money off this.
Authors Notes: EXAMS ARE EVIL!!!
I'm not a doctor and I really don't know a lot of biology so I'm probably going to really say a lot of stupid stuff in this chapter. The only time I've ever paid attention in Bio was when the teacher was explaining the immune system to us in terms of the android saga using his Dragonball Z action figures (yes it is a class of 16, 17 and 18 year olds). Just pretend that I'm making slightly intelligent and logical statements – give your imagination a real workout.
Chapter 6: Cure?
Videl and Gohan sat with their heads together for a while. Nobody in the room could actually hear what they were saying, but everyone could have a fairly decent guess. Gohan would be trying to reassure his wife and Videl would be trying to comfort him. It wasn't long before the inevitable came up though.
"Where's Goten?" Gohan asked.
"He's out fighting the androids." Videl answered cautiously, but she knew it would be no surprise to Gohan.
Gohan raised a hand to his head and leaned back. He hated lying there and he hated being helpless. It seemed that most of his life others were saving him. "I should be out there," he said, struggling to sit up. Videl gently pressed a hand to his chest, holding him in a resting position. It only took one hand and she barely had to use any strength. It seemed the weight alone was enough to hold him down.
"Gohan, you know that you are too weak. Gotens a strong boy, he'll be fine. He has his fathers heart burning strongly in him."
"Look where that got Dad," Gohan said, looking over at his father. Chichi noticed the attention and smiled at her son. Chichi had wanted to go and talk to Gohan, but decided that Videl would probably appreciate the time alone. Chichi had only managed to get a few silent moments with Goku and she knew how much that had meant to her. She wanted Gohan to be happy, so stayed at Goku's side wishing for some life to appear on his face.
Videl sighed. Gohan may not be very strong in body right now, but his heart was still as strong as ever. She knew how responsible Gohan felt for his younger brother and hated seeing him worry so much. Still, he should be worrying about himself and letting the others take care of the earth for now. Deep down she knew that in truth, he probably was scared for himself, but he was always too considerate to admit it. "Gohan, he'll be fine. So will Goku. They're both too strong to be defeated by androids. We've done it before and we'll do it again. They are too strong to lose." Videl realised that 'strong' was becoming a small mantra for her. It comforted her to be reminded of the strength Saiyans possessed, it made her think that Gohan would have a fighting chance at beating whatever it was that left him in this state.
Gohan opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it. He didn't want to get Videl worked up and quite frankly he didn't think he had the energy. 'I'm too weak to argue, let alone fight,' he thought mournfully. Goten shouldn't be protecting him. It should be the other way around. He had to admit his brother was a good fighter and would probably surpass him one day. That thought made him proud yet did nothing to comfort him. Instead he simply lay his head back on the pillow Videl had just finished straightening and looked back up at Videl. It didn't surprise him to see some moisture building up in his wifes eyes. Gohan pretended not to notice and let his attention wander to his father. Even when he was unconscious he had the air of a warrior about him. He carried himself different to ordinary people, even Vegeta. Gohan had once tried to copy his posture and attitude, but that did not give him the same appearance. There was something in his father that he could never fully comprehend, more than Saiyan blood and even more than determination. Perhaps it was the conviction that what he was doing was right or perhaps Gohan was just getting too tired.
Even thinking made Gohan so tired. He could feel his eyelids falling and tried to fight it. He wanted to see Videls face for one second more, then another. He told her too sleep. She looked so tired and upset. He didn't want to upset her, all he ever wanted was to live in peace. It seemed that was too much to ask. His life was divided into dynasties of enemies and fleeting periods of peace. Videl reminded him so much of his daughter, Pan. He wanted Pan to grow up without having to fight for her life. Why did the world always demand so much more?
Gohan had drifted off into a silent sleep. Bulma wasn't entirely sure if it was simply fatigue or if he had slipped back into unconsciousness, but her money was on the latter. Her concerns were not voiced though, she was far too busy trying to figure out what was wrong with Vegeta, Goku and Gohan. She felt guilty about leaving Vegeta even though he was unconscious. Still she would feel even more guilty if he died through her own laziness. Bulma, however, was not a doctor. She was able to run simple tests to look for simple disorders, but the reality was she was facing an entirely original form of attack that even a research scientist would be pushed to solve in a lifetime. Glancing at her watch she realised that dawn was fast approaching. That also meant that there would be people in the general population waking up and coming to work soon. The last thing she needed right now was to explain to a thousand workers what exactly was going on not far from here and why she had three new patients with a seemingly incurable disease. Deciding to cross that bridge when she came to it she returned to her work hoping for some kind of inspiration.
Videl and Chichi both wondered what had caused Bulmas sudden burst of action, but neither complained. Videl had looked rather bitter over Gohan confiding in Bulma and not her, but tried to hide this for Gohans sake. He had been whispering sweet comforting thoughts to her, bidding her to sleep. She did the same and eventually Gohan fell to her will, but Videl knew that it was through no choice of his own. She was surprised enough that he was willing to lie in bed while his brother was outside fighting. It only made her worry more because after all these years she knew how stubborn Gohan could be when he had to be. There was no way he would lie here now unless he was absolutely unable to fight.
*
Krillen and Juuhachigou found that their luck was running out. Between the two they could prevent absorbing too much damage. Their blows, however, didn't seem to have the desired effect. Krillen muttered to himself trying to ignore the pain starting to embrace his body. Then he launched himself at the android slamming into him. The android moved his arm up to block the attack while raising the other ready to strike. Krillen blocked the punch and pulled back trying to swipe the androids feet off balance. The android widened its stance and didn't even avoid the kick. Krillen became very frustrated by his seeming lack of ability to even hurt the android and gritted his teeth launching a flurry of kicks and puches before jumping back, breathing heavily. Juuhachigou stepped in just as Krillen was backing off, twisting her hips into a solid kick to the android's ribs. The android was thrown slightly off balance by this and Krillen was there waiting for the chance to finally hurt his opponent. He managed to connect a very strong punch with the androids face, which to Krillens surprise, caused him to stumble back a few paces and drop to his knees holding his nose. Juuhachigou raised and eyebrow at her husband, obviously not expecting the attack. Krillen shot her a small smile before the two jumped into battle again.
Yamucha, Tien and Piccolo had quickly learned to work as a team providing a fairly effective assault. With numbers on their side the android was starting to feel the full power of the z-warriors. Piccolo was already attacking in a mass of flying fists and feet, blocking and dodging every retaliation that was directed towards him. It wasn't long before the android found a opening in his defence though and elbowed Piccolo in the stomach forcing the air out of his lungs. Wasting no time the android began to assault Piccolo with a barrage of punches forcing him back into retreat. Tien was there in a second though and forced them away from the recovering Namekian. Tien fired an energy blast at the android, but this was nonchalently knocked away. However Yamucha took advantage of the distraction and came up from the back slamming his fist into the androids back before sweeping his feet out from under him. Piccolo, now fully recovered decided to return the favour and forced his elbow deep into the android's gut then whipping his arm up to smack him in the face. Somewhat stunned by the onslaught the android was forced back, blocking the punches and kicks now coming three at a time. Once finally able to retaliate the android struck out at Tien who grabbed him by the wrist and ducked behind the surprised android. He twisted the limb till he was sure it would break, but the android was too quick and reached behind his back with his free hand, energy ball in tow and slammed it into Tiens side. Tien fell back, reeling in pain. The android followed his prey and grabbed Tien by the neck, squeezing hard enough to cut of his air supply. Yamucha intervened with a well placed uppercut under the chin, snapping the androids head back and causing him to drop Tien in shock. Tien scrambled away from the fight allowing himself a few seconds to restore his body with oxygen and detach his mind from the pain in his side.
Trunks managed to catch the android in the mouth with his fist and tried to sweep his feet from under him. The android jumped over the feet, but didn't more quick enough to block the roundhouse kick that followed. While on his run of luck Trunks quickly charged a ball of energy and tossed it in the android's direction. Although it did not hurt the android much it caused him to take a couple of steps back. Taking the opportunity Trunks let out a kiap and felt the power surging forward. He wasn't given half a second to appreciate his new strength before the android took the offensive again. Trunks was getting very confused by the style of fighting the androids employed. They seemed almost uninterested in combat and only blocked and avoided attacks when necessary. Attack seemed to come as a last resort. However, at times they would suddenly jump on the offensive. It was possible that the purpose of this could be solely to confuse, but Trunks sensed that there was something more to this. It wasn't just a tactic, it meant something. It had to mean something because if Trunks didn't find a weakness soon this battle would be lost. Already he and the other fighters were getting tired and the androids weren't even out of breath. They never would be until they were destroyed.
*
Bulma marched into the room trying to look confident, but only managing to twist her face into a scowl resembling concentration. Several pairs of eyes flicked up towards her, waiting. Bulma contemplated how she would explain her findings to the others. She filled her lungs and tilted her head back slightly trying to get rid of the crick that was developing. "Well," she started, returning her head to its normal position finding three pairs of eager eyes resting on her. "I think I have isolated the problem."
"And can you fix it?" Videl asked, not waiting for the long-winded explanation of something she probably wouldn't understand.
"It's not really as simple as that." Bulma ventured. "You see, whatever happened to these guys caused their bodies to overheat very rapidly. With the use of some kind of catalyst I've yet to determine the hypothalamus reacted a lot more quickly than normal and essentially began to shut down meaning the body no longer had any control over temperature among other things. As a result of the heat their enzymes were also denatured and-"
"Denatured?"
"When the body overheats enzymes change shape and as a result are unable to properly function. A lot of other relatively minor things would have occurred too, but anyway, that's not the real problem because normally we could treat that in a similar manner you would a fever. All this must have happened within seconds somehow, probably from a very intense blast. However there was something that was bothering me a lot - Vegeta, Goku and Gohan are not currently displaying any physical symptoms other than unconsciousness, which we can assume is not from a blow to the head. They don't even have a high temperature. That made me think that maybe something could be happening at a sub-cellular level. The only problem is that in order to fully investigate this I'd need an electron microscope which we obviously don't have here."
The room was silent for a second. Bulma had ended without an inflection and the others were under the impression she was about to say more. Chichi was the first to realise that this wasn't the case and asked, "So what are you going to do then?" She had managed to follow the explanation, but sensed there was a little more to it than that. She'd known Bulma for a very long time and could tell she was holding something back. Her curiosity was piqued and wondered if it had anything to do with Gohan. Now, even more so than ever she wanted to know what had been so private. It didn't seem fair that Gohan would confide in Bulma and not her.
Bulma didn't like to admit that she didn't really know what was going on and probably never would, but felt it would be unfair to keep the others in the dark. "Well, the most I can do is make an educated guess from experiment what is going on and try my best to treat it or wait for it to take its course." Silence ensued once more, but this time it wasn't because everyone assumed Bulma was about to say more. Bulma was actually surprised by the reaction. She had anticipated a rather noisy reception for that particular piece of information. However, she was grateful for the understanding that they were obviously trying to display. At times like this tension was always running high and that tended to be taken out on others. Although it wasn't a pleasant experience Bulma had come to accept it, especially with Vegeta around.
Building up the courage Videl asked, "Do you think you can cure them?" It was the question on everybody's lips.
"I really don't know." Bulma answered, hanging her head.
"Do you think we should try?"
Bulma thought back to her conversation with Gohan. She didn't want to dishonour Gohans wishes, but she didn't even know if he was even in the right state of mind to be making such decisive calls. She had known enough to sense the fear in his voice though. He had spoken as the man who knew the next breath could be the last, it was enough to make anyone desperate. "Well, I think that we need to do something." The sobering words almost choked Bulma. She was trying to detach the reality from her husband, not wanting to believe that she was debating Vegeta's life. She was so used to relying on him to save the day and for once she began to understand the kind of pressure he must have felt having the worlds fate rest on his shoulders. Sure, he never admitted to Earth's safety as being a huge concern for him, but it was her home and although he'd never say it that meant it was his home. There was more honour in him than most gave him credit for. At the same time she couldn't help but think back to her conversation earlier with Trunks, before this whole mess had started. She wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with him, but it never seemed possible to get beyond the tough exoskeleton erected around him. She thought that things could change, but a small voice at the back of her mind constantly reminded her of who she was dealing with.
Not willing to take the silence as an agreement, Bulma prompted the others for a response. The pained stares lasted for a second before Chichi reluctantly muttered, "Do it then" and Videl nodded in agreement. Bulma inched to her husbands side brushing his forehead for a second, knowing how much he'd hate that if he were conscious. The lack of protest made her more aware of the pressing urgency of her task and she left to continue with her work.
Bulma entered the last of the data into her computer. She'd run every experiment she thought could shed some light on the subject, but nothing seemed to work. She stared at the endless printouts the computer gave her, barely taking in the words that flashed across the screen. As several more windows pop up her vision wandered towards the open door. Suddenly it all fell into place and Bulma felt sure that a light-bulb must have just illuminated above her head. She pulled up the appropriate file and skimmed her eyes over it, a look of victory making its way to her face and taking over as she did so. She clicked print and started to jump around while waiting impatiently for the printer. She pulled the last page out in such haste that the last two lines were smudged, but that didn't matter. Trying to remember that she wasn't sure about anything yet she tried to compose herself, but gave up several steps down the hallway and ran into the room where Vegeta lay. The commotion gained the attention of everyone in the room several minutes before her arrival and they were waiting with their eyes on the door hoping for some good news.
"I think I've got it." Bulma announced without wasting any time on pleasantries, that greeting was pleasant enough. Even Chaotzu looked ecstatic. "There is something affecting their transfer system. There must be something that has thickening their capillary walls which is why they aren't able to regain consciousness. Their bodies are experiencing extreme deprivation of everything it needs. I can't understand how they've managed to survive at all, but maybe the designer underestimated a Saiyans ability to survive. Anyway, that doesn't matter. The point is that I might have finally found something to work from. What I'd like to do is test my theory though. If I'm right it means we probably haven't got much time. According to this," she said indicating the papers that she was reading over, "and at the current calculated rate it'll only be a few more hours before it reaches a critical point." Bulma paused, wondering if anyone knew what it was she was proposing. It was certainly a rather unsettling idea, but common practice. She didn't like to be messing around with things that she wasn't an expert on, but this situation certainly warranted emergency training.
"Ok, do it then."
Bulma hesitated for a second, wondering if she should fully explain what she was about to do. In order to know if the exchange system was malfunctioning she would have to inject a radioactive substance into one of these men and trace its movement. It wasn't a very dangerous procedure, but slightly unnerving. She decided that nobody had actually asked what she intended to do so left it at that. She handed the papers absentmindedly to Videl who looked at them wondering what she was meant to do with them. However, one glance at Bulma told her that it wasn't really a conscious action. Everyone had seen Bulma when she was working on something – the world seemed to draw back for her. She put the papers at Gohans feet and stared once more into his blank face. She had only managed to talk to Gohan for half an hour before he lost consciousness again and in that time she had realised how weak and worried Gohan was. His fear for his father was evident and he even seemed to worry about Vegeta. She slightly resented Bulma having some time to talk to Gohan alone and was desperate to know what they had discussed.
Bulma punched in a security code and opened the door. She washed her eyes over the various chemicals, quickly spotting what she wanted. The company was down to the last batch and some of it had already been used. She continued to gather the rest of the required equipment before returning to the medical room. The whole time she was wrestling with her mind with regards as to whom she should experiment on. Normally she would have picked Vegeta because it seemed unfair to use Gohan or Goku without Videl or Chichi even knowing what she was doing. She didn't want to let them freak out any more. However, she felt like that would be betraying Gohan's trust. She had promised him, still it didn't feel right especially since she wasn't being entirely up-front with the others. By the time she had returned she had consoled herself with the assurance that she wasn't testing a cure, just running an ordinary test like any other and she would start with Vegeta.
*
Goten was getting a fair beating. His body ached with fatigue already. He knew that he wouldn't be able to hold up this pace much longer. Turning Super Saiyan seemed like the only way to stay alive, but already he was so tired and knew that it would drain a lot of his energy. He noted that Trunks hadn't yet transformed and wondered if there was a particular reasoning behind his actions. Trunks always fought a far more thinking fight, where Goten tended to rely on brute strength and following Trunks's lead. Goten had been trained in tactics, but tended to throw such teachings aside on a battlefield. Had he been clearly thinking about the current state he would have know that he would have to transform to even hope to win this fight.
A fist slamming heavily into his gut forced him to double over in pain. He forced himself upright just in time to see a huge energy blast heading towards him. Goten didn't hesitate, the power within him suddenly flared outwards and twisted through his body. His hair leapt upwards crackling with golden electricity and his eyes flickered before losing the darkness in them and he thrust his hands forward, shooting his own blast back. All this occurred within a second, but to Goten it all seemed to slow down. His senses heightened and he felt like he had just finally been granted the ability to see. He never got used to the quantum leap in his abilities when he became a Super Saiyan. The power was more exhilarating than an orgasm, the speed made the world appear to be moving so slowly and the senses made a normal being seem blind. The world around him changed in an instant, but there was not time to revel in the ecstasy, he concentrated on his blast, pushing more power into it, trying to gain the ground lost during his transformation. He gritted his teeth and pushed with all his might, focussing and drawing his energy from the depths of his power. This was different to all his training sessions though, the android would not back off. With this in mind he poured more strength into the blast. He kept pushing, hoping that it would be enough. The amount of power he was dealing with made him very confident, knowing he possessed the power to contend with his enemy and at the same time made him very afraid. Any enemy that could contend with this was certainly cause for concern.
The android suddenly changed, everything about it changed. Its eyes suddenly came alive, no longer the impassive pits that didn't seem to see. They became cruel, cold and most of all determined. It was as if a switch had been flicked. Although it was a clumsy mechanism it worked very effectively. The androids power raised a level, giving him just enough energy to push Gotens blast backwards ever so slightly. Goten realised he was losing and dug his feet into the ground and let out a low growl. He had come so far, he couldn't afford to lose. So many times his father and brother had stepped in to save him, now it was his turn to save them. Thinking of his father, the strongest man in the world, lying so helplessly he let out a cry of rage and anger that was accompanied by a huge pulse in his energy wave. His own power pushed forward, almost reaching the android. To the androids credit, or rather the creators, fear never touched the young face. It seemed unlikely, but Goten quickly discovered why the android seemed incapable of experiencing fear. Goten couldn't sustain the effort and the android seemed to have endless energy. He watched helplessly as the blast moved further towards him. His experience with his father told him that there was no way he could stop this blast hitting him. Not only would it hit him, but it had the potential to kill him. Taking only a second to weigh up the options he ceased wasting his energy and prepared himself for the immense blast to hit. He raised his hands to his head, bracing himself for the inevitable blow. Fortunately the android was some distance away so he managed to gather enough energy to prevent himself from being killed, but the blast hit him very hard. Although he tried not to, he cried out, not in pain, but frustration. He was just not strong enough.
*
"What was that?" Jaques yelled, watching a power reading suddenly soar. Paul was already trying to determine the source. It only took seconds for them both to realise that Goten had gone Super Saiyan. For the first time in a long time Jaques was speechless. This didn't last long though and he started to yell at Paul once more as if he had some kind of control over Gotens power. "The battle should have ended long before now. What is holding the androids back? I've told you from the start that we can't allow any fights to drag out, especially with Saiyans involved. I want that kid put out of action, permanently. I don't care what you use – just get it done before he gets any stronger."
Paul had to admit that Jaques had a point. The battle shouldn't have lasted this long and it was time to end it. He hadn't imagined his logic chips would fail, but it seemed that they were. The androids were just not reacting as violently as they should. "Something is stopping them from recognising the full danger of the situation. I'm going to override the logic units and just throw them into battle mode."
"You shouldn't have to. These were flawless beings, remember?" Jaques glared at the back of Pauls head. He couldn't understand why anyone would allow such mistakes to occur, this was his big moment, his one chance. Surely Paul knew that. Jaques had assumed Paul had something to gain from this victory too, revenge for one thing. He could finally realise his masters dream and avenge his untimely death. He recognised that Paul wasn't exactly the typical revolutionary, but he still had a lot to gain from Goku's death. The whole world would benefit from the freedom.
Paul noticed Jaques quiet yet tense meditation and became very glad that he was needed to oversee the operations. Jaques was getting frustrated and desperate already and Paul sensed the fight was only just warming up. One thing that could never be fully included in his calculations was the seeming ability of the warriors to win any fight. If and when things got really desperate Jaques would not be in a coherent mood. He already had his sights set on a destination, the means no longer mattered. Paul almost laughed at the irony, Jaques had always told the group that the end would justify the means – he obviously believed his own words. Paul had to give him credit for that as most fanatics tended to be hypocrites. However, this was one time when a hypocrite would be better than the alternative.
*
Bulma removed the needle and pressed down on the spot where a tiny amount of blood was collecting. She looked at Vegeta's face, still unable to comprehend why she felt so nervous about the whole procedure. She'd been trying to shake off the frustrating sense of an ominous premonition without success.
Then it all stopped, so suddenly and so sharply she didn't even have time to react. The heart monitor faded to a straight line and a screeching beep invaded the ears of everyone present. To her credit Bulma was not stunned into a stupor, but she was a little unsure of how to react. Her mind raced over what was happening and how she could possibly hope to reverse it. For a second she began to cast several inwards insults, accusing herself of carelessness. Being the smart person that she was though she quickly stopped herself from wasting any more time. By now Chichi, Videl and Chaotzu were staring in horror, trying to stay out of Bulma's way. "Defribulator," Bulma managed to gasp in her panic. This request was met by blank stares. "Get the defribulator, its in the store-room" Bulma finally yelled. Now that Bulma was speaking their language the request was quickly met. Meanwhile Bulma was filling a syringe with adrenaline and quietly pleading with Vegeta.
With the charged paddles in her hands Bulma sent a quick prayer upwards, hoping she would know enough to save her husband. Feeling the paddles hit Vegeta's exposed chest caused a small shudder. Never in her life did she think she would be standing here, the only hope for the proud Prince. At this point Bulma was ready to slap herself for not taking Vegeta to a proper hospital. Deep down she knew that once a patient had suffered cardiac arrest there was very little chance of them recovering. It happened a lot in movies, but the odds were well stacked against her, especially with her lack of experience. Vegeta's body was thrown upwards like a rag doll under the jolt. It seemed so inhuman. Watching the heart monitor barely waver from its perfectly straight line Bulma let the paddles charge once more.
*
Trunks stopped in the middle of the battlefield. As a result he was hit with a barrage of blows to his face and torso, but the pain never registered. All he could feel was his fathers energy disappear. It wasn't even a conscious decision for Trunks to run to his aid, it was a reflex action that he never thought he would regret. The others were too involved in their own survival to notice Trunks's unusual pause, but they did notice him when he suddenly left the android alone, racing towards Capsule Corporations at a speed that would have made his father proud. Trunks knew that he could be making a mistake and knew that it could be a costly one, but there was no way he could let his father die. Running through the halls at breakneck pace Trunks only just missed running into the walls themselves, but his vision was so clearly set on his determination he probably wouldn't have even noticed. It was something neither of them would admit, but Trunks was very close to his father and vice versa. Their personalities were too different to ever really get along, but there was a understanding that could not be feinted. Trunks knew his father was too proud to admit to loving anyone and Vegeta knew his son was too smart to be truly offended by his insults. They seemed to have a silent mutual pact with one another that was only evident in situations such as this. That's when it really mattered though and they always came through for each other. In fact their skills tended to compliment each others perfectly.
Goten was stunned by Trunks's sudden departure and even more stunned by having a second android turn on him. He could barely hold his own against one android before and two made the task virtually impossible. He knew that his father would never give up so easily though so stayed at it, trying to hold his own. The others had their hands full and he knew that he couldn't expect any help from them. He wasn't faring too well though. With every blast or fist or foot he dodged there was another one waiting for him. Only a minute after he'd acquired his new enemy he was beginning to look fairly rough around the edges.
The new development did not go unnoticed by Yamucha, Piccolo, Tien, Krillen or Juuhachigou. Each of them recognised his need for help as he would be unable to handle the androids alone, even as a Super Saiyan. Krillen considered going to help, but wondered if Juuhachigou would be able to handle the android. She seemed to read his mind and yelled out over the commotion of the battlefield, "Krillen, go help him." He hesitated for a second before realising Piccolo had beaten him to it.
Piccolo had left Yamucha and Tien to join the fight with Goten. Although he disliked Goten for his frustrating similarity to Goku, Piccolo knew that he owed it to Gohan to try and keep his brother alive. Needless to say, Goten was grateful for the assistance, but now that their forces were spread more thinly the resistance had lost a lot of power. Yamucha and Tien were so occupied with staying alive that they didn't really have a decent chance to attack the androids. Piccolo was becoming very angry with Trunks's disappearance – they couldn't afford to lose such a strong fighter at this point. Piccolo had always tried to keep all emotions other than anger off the battlefield and had trained Gohan to do the same, but it seemed that not everyone adopted the same attitude. He could understand that Trunks wanted to save his father, but that's what Dragonballs were for. They didn't have time for his pesky guilt trips.
"Dad!" Trunks called out in despair when he saw his father lying there. He knew exactly what his mother was trying to do, but also knew the odds were stacked against her. Because of this he pushed her hands out of the way and raised his own above Vegeta. He found it hard to believe that his father could be dying, especially under such pathetic circumstances. Vegeta, the Saiyan Prince had fought too many battles to die from a single blast. If anything he would be in there fighting this all the way simply to protect his honour. Vegeta wouldn't go down by such a simple blow if it was at all stoppable. However Trunks's senses told him that it was true though, as much as his mind refused to believe it. He shut his eyes and focussed. He had never done this before, but knew that it was possible. His father needed energy and thats what Trunks intended to give him. Perhaps desperation had gained control of his wits or perhaps he just didn't want his father to die. Whatever the reason, it was costing the others a lot outside.
*
Trina knew that they were getting close. There was almost a visible tension in the air. The speed the group had adopted was starting to accelerate and Trina was having a hard time keeping up. Mike kept looking over at her as if he was expecting her to suddenly drop dead or take off towards the horizon. She could understand his apprehension, there was not a person in the group who wasn't experiencing it. However Trina's emotions were a result of a very different motivation. Trina was starting to feel very sick. There was something that rested in her gut, a black swirling mass of remorse. Something in her simply wanted to cover her eyes and curl up into a ball. How did I get here, she wondered. There had been far better opportunities to leave the group, now it was too late. She would have to live with this mistake, it would soon be her past. In effect, it already was. There was nothing she could do to stop this massacre now, she had gone too far. Suddenly suicide became such a plausible option. She had never even contemplated this before, but now it seemed the only answer. She knew that she wouldn't go through with it, but strangely enough it comforted her to know that there was a way out once the burden bore down on her with too much pressure. Having a way out lifted the blackness slightly. The repentance still plagued her mind, there was not a thought that didn't return to her idiotic trust in Mike and his stupid promises. Everytime the reality came back to her she would twist her head instinctively. Maybe she was trying to shake the truth from her consciousness, or maybe her body was just so overridden with guilt and remorse it was taking control. Deciding that the concept was a good one Trina surrendered control to her instincts, her mind taking leave for a while. It was a nice break, the non-existence of reason or thought gave Trina her long deserved peace.
Then she saw Mike staring at her again, the concern still written across his face. She had gone through so much to keep Mike, now she would have him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and raised her heels ever so slightly, pulling him closer. Then she pressed her lips to his and they stopped abruptly to enjoy the kiss. Some tried not to notice and others watched with interest as they passed the couple by. Just as the last few were passing them by they broke apart, still staring at one another though. Trina looked on with lust and Mike with confusion. "Where did that come from?" he asked.
"I love you, Mike."
"I love you too, Trina." With that they carried on walking behind the group with their arms around each others waist. Mike occasionally leaned over and kissed Trina's forehead and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. It seemed to Trina that they were on a date again, just walking down the street, oblivious to the world. Trina had messed it all up so badly, the best thing to do was forget. It seemed Mike embraced this method too. For a little while they would be happy together and enjoy the love they had suffered so much for.
*
Thanks for reading. Please review.
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