1 Chapter 15
There was a feeling of quiet unease at the Palace in the Clouds. Vegeta handed over the soul gem to Dende and he got to work. The others were getting their wounds treated, but everyone was still uneasy. Xellos had the Dark Heart, which had the capability to send Lina and Zelgadis back to their home world. His plan to kidnap Vegeta was also known to the others now. Zel and Lina slept together in one of the bedrooms; they were both exhausted, expending all of their sorcerous might during the final battle against Valgav. Trunks smiled faintly as he watched the two lovebirds finally at peace. He quietly closed the bedroom door and walked out to the foyer.
***It's all well and good that mom will be back soon, but I still feel empty. If only the dragonballs still existed in my time! I need you mom! Without you, there's nothing for me to go back to in my time.*** He sighed, and continued to the foyer. When he got there he saw Gokuu staring up at the sky. "Hey Gokuu."
"Hey Trunks! That was one tough battle, huh?"
"Yeah, but we pulled through." He looked at Gokuu imploringly. "Gokuu? There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Is there any other way to get to Overworld aside from dying?"
Gokuu looked at him confusedly, "Why would you want to go to the Overworld?"
"I miss MY mother. There's nothing for me back in my time. Everyone's dead, or soon will be. Mom and I were the only ones able to help the less fortunate, and with her gone, it's too much for me to handle."
"I'm sorry Trunks, but the only way I know to get to the Overworld is to die. Sorry."
Trunks frowned, "Thanks anyway Gokuu."
"It's time," Piccolo called. "Dende thinks he found a way to bring Bulma back."
"Great!" Gokuu said excitedly. Trunks and Gokuu rushed to the room where Bulma's body was held in stasis.
Vegeta, Piccolo, Mr. Popo and Dende were standing next to Bulma's body. Dende's hands were glowing white and he held out the soul gem over Bulma's head. Gokuu and Trunks were hushed by Vegeta when they entered the room. Dende's eyes were closed in concentration, as he chanted the ritual to put her soul back into her body. Everyone watched in awe as the gem levitated from Dende's hands and hovered over Bulma's chest. The gem started to glow bright red and hummed with energy. Vegeta held his breath, fists clenched in anticipation! A red aura grew from the gem and moved over to Bulma's body. Agonizing minutes passed, until the gem stopped glowing. Spent, the gem was now a brown rock and it fell to the ground, it's magic spent. More seconds passed with no results. Vegeta's scowl grew bigger, until she stirred!
"She moving!" Gokuu exclaimed.
"Bulma?" Vegeta said breathlessly.
She stirred. Her eyes opened and focused on her husband. "V…Vegeta? What happened?"
Vegeta smiled (!). "It's okay, Bulma. You've come back to me! Everything's going to be all right now!"
She smiled back at him and took his hand in hers. A rousing chorus of celebration echoed throughout the Palace!
Lina awoke first. Her eyes opened dreamily as she took in the sleeping, peaceful form of Zel. His wounds were bandaged and his breathing was deep. She smiled as she looked upon his face and laid her head back down on his exposed chest. She had a wonderful feeling of peace, wishing this day wouldn't end. She laid in his arms for hours, until he finally awoke.
"Good morning," he said with a smile.
"Good morning," she answered back with a sigh. "Sleep well?"
"Oh yeah. You?"
"Mmmm. Yes."
"Do you…want to get up?"
"Not right now, let's stay here for a while longer." They hugged each other and stayed in bed until the sun came up.
Everyone else celebrated the day with the return of Bulma. Dende and Mr. Popo were very busy preparing food and getting everything set up. Gokuu and Gohan were talking of Gohan's studies abroad, younger Trunks was spending time with his father and mother, Goten, Tien, and Krillin were playing games, the only others beside Lina and Zel who weren't partying were Piccolo and Future Trunks. They excused themselves quietly from the party and were brooding in silence back at the foyer.
Piccolo was still upset over the treachery of Xellos, and he was still out there. Xellos was subtle and quite powerful. He would be an opponent that would prove hard to defeat. Probably just as hard as Valgav had been. Piccolo did not relish the thought of another battle so soon after the one they just fought. It brought more frustration to him to realize that him, along with the other z warriors couldn't pick up his energy signature until he revealed himself. By that time, Xellos could be right on top of them ready to attack!
Trunks was lost in his memories and thoughts. Bulma had been successfully revived and everything would return to normal here, thanks to Gokuu and his friends. If only Babidi and that Buu creature never appeared! His mother's death had been a needless one, thanks to that pink creature's insane bloodlust. At least she was alive again in this timeline. Still, it wasn't his mother. His mother was turned into a cookie and eaten, without so much regard as someone eating a bowl of rice. Memories flooded him, happy times between his mother and himself, times he spent training with his mentor, Gohan, destroying the androids and Cell, helping to rebuild humanity from the ground up. A single tear dropped from his cheek as he felt despair grip him. It wasn't fair! He had to find a way to bring back his mother! There had to be a way!
The night passed away uneventfully. Lina and Zel got out of bed to get some food and spent the rest of the night in each other's arms. Bulma, young Trunks, and Vegeta already said their good-byes and headed for home. Gohan said goodbye as well, his studies needed to be resumed. He took Goten home as well. Krillin, Yaumcha, and Tien went their separate ways, leaving Gokuu, Future Trunks and Piccolo behind to look for a way to find the elusive Xellos. The warriors greeted Lina and Zel the following morning.
"Good morning!" Gokuu said smiling.
The two other worlders blushed and smiled back. Trunks and Piccolo looked more serious than Gokuu and nodded their greetings. "So everything's turned out okay! Things were a little scary for a bit, but we won!" Lina was very happy this morning.
"We're not out of the woods yet," Piccolo said flatly. "We still need to find Xellos, and get you back to your world."
"Yeah," Gokuu confirmed. "The three of us decided to let the others return home. We'll take it from here."
"Thanks," Lina replied. "We can't thank you enough for everything you all have done for us."
"Yeah," Zel said appreciatively, "thanks."
"No problem! What are friends for?" Gokuu said.
Trunks said nothing while the others talked, he stared at Lina intensely. She noticed and walked over to him. "What's the matter?"
"I'd like to talk to you in private."
"Uh…okay." She turned to the others, "We'll be right back."
The rounded the corner and walked back toward the inside of the palace. When they got to the main hall Trunks stopped. Lina looked at him questioningly. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Before you say anything," he started, looking Lina squarely in the eyes, "I want you to hear me out."
She nodded, "Sure."
"I want…I want to go with you."
"What?"
"I want to go with you back to your world. There's nothing for me here, and there's nothing for me back in my time. I can't stay here, and I can't go back. This is the only other option left for me."
"But…" she started, "my world is very different from yours. The technology of my world isn't nearly as advanced as this one."
He smiled ruefully. "In my time there isn't much technology. I lived without it."
She started to say something else, but thought better of it. She smiled at him," Sure! Why not? We'd be glad to have you tag along! It'll be fun!"
Trunks smiled back," Thank you!"
The two walked back and were in for a surprise! There, Zel, Gokuu and Piccolo were all in defensive stances. Across from them was Xellos, smiling as usual!
"You picked a great place to fight," Gokuu said.
"I'm not here to fight," Xellos laughed, "I'm here to take the others home."
"Right," Zel said sarcastically," I hope you won't take offense if we don't exactly trust you."
"I'm hurt," Xellos said with mock dejection.
"It's okay," Lina called out. The others turned to her with questioning expressions.
"Lina?" Zel asked.
"Don't worry about it," she replied back casually. She walked up to Xellos and smiled back at him.
Xellos sweatdropped and tried to back up, but Piccolo was behind him in an instant, giving Xellos no room to maneuver.
"Hi Xellos!" she said evilly.
"Uh, hi Lina," he stammered.
"We're almost ready to go."
"Almost?"
"Yep. There's just one thing I need to do first."
"What's that Lina?"
"This." She punched him in the gut. Xellos doubled over, coughing. "That's what you get for messing with us!" Her rage was a sight to behold! Both Trunks and Gokuu smiled as they watched Lina punch, kick, and punch Xellos some more. Satisfied in her work she grabbed the Dark Heart from Xellos. "Now we can go."
"Whatever you say Lina," Xellos said shakily.
She walked over to Gokuu and kissed him on the cheek. "What was that for?" he asked, blushing.
"That's for being a true friend. I can't thank you enough for all the help you gave."
"It was my pleasure," he replied, still blushing. "Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."
She smiled. "You never know."
Zel and Piccolo shook hands, saying their good-byes, then Zel shook hands with Gokuu. "It's been a pleasure, I think." Zel said.
"Till next time," Gokuu replied.
"What are you going to do Trunks?" Piccolo asked.
"I'm going with them."
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Well, good luck then," Gokuu declared shaking his hand. "It's been a pleasure fighting with you again."
"Anytime." The two warriors smiled at each other.
"Can we go now?" Xellos complained.
"Right!" Lina exclaimed. She held up the Dark Heart, and with a few simple words of power, activated it. A portal of blue smoke opened above the travelers and enveloped them. In a flash, they were gone!
"Well," Gokuu sighed. "I guess I'll be heading home. It was nice fighting with you Piccolo. You should stop by some time."
"Gokuu," Piccolo asked, "Do you think we'll see them again?"
Gokuu smiled as he stared at the clouds in the sky. A warm breeze flowed past the two warriors. "You never know, Piccolo. But I think we will, someday!"
THE END
It was a bit sappy, but that's how it goes. Further adventures of Trunks and Lina will be forthcoming in a few days or so. If you liked this story you might want to check it out. This story was a pleasure to write and I hope you liked it, being my first fic and all. Till next time! Keep reading! –Mezzic.
There was a feeling of quiet unease at the Palace in the Clouds. Vegeta handed over the soul gem to Dende and he got to work. The others were getting their wounds treated, but everyone was still uneasy. Xellos had the Dark Heart, which had the capability to send Lina and Zelgadis back to their home world. His plan to kidnap Vegeta was also known to the others now. Zel and Lina slept together in one of the bedrooms; they were both exhausted, expending all of their sorcerous might during the final battle against Valgav. Trunks smiled faintly as he watched the two lovebirds finally at peace. He quietly closed the bedroom door and walked out to the foyer.
***It's all well and good that mom will be back soon, but I still feel empty. If only the dragonballs still existed in my time! I need you mom! Without you, there's nothing for me to go back to in my time.*** He sighed, and continued to the foyer. When he got there he saw Gokuu staring up at the sky. "Hey Gokuu."
"Hey Trunks! That was one tough battle, huh?"
"Yeah, but we pulled through." He looked at Gokuu imploringly. "Gokuu? There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Is there any other way to get to Overworld aside from dying?"
Gokuu looked at him confusedly, "Why would you want to go to the Overworld?"
"I miss MY mother. There's nothing for me back in my time. Everyone's dead, or soon will be. Mom and I were the only ones able to help the less fortunate, and with her gone, it's too much for me to handle."
"I'm sorry Trunks, but the only way I know to get to the Overworld is to die. Sorry."
Trunks frowned, "Thanks anyway Gokuu."
"It's time," Piccolo called. "Dende thinks he found a way to bring Bulma back."
"Great!" Gokuu said excitedly. Trunks and Gokuu rushed to the room where Bulma's body was held in stasis.
Vegeta, Piccolo, Mr. Popo and Dende were standing next to Bulma's body. Dende's hands were glowing white and he held out the soul gem over Bulma's head. Gokuu and Trunks were hushed by Vegeta when they entered the room. Dende's eyes were closed in concentration, as he chanted the ritual to put her soul back into her body. Everyone watched in awe as the gem levitated from Dende's hands and hovered over Bulma's chest. The gem started to glow bright red and hummed with energy. Vegeta held his breath, fists clenched in anticipation! A red aura grew from the gem and moved over to Bulma's body. Agonizing minutes passed, until the gem stopped glowing. Spent, the gem was now a brown rock and it fell to the ground, it's magic spent. More seconds passed with no results. Vegeta's scowl grew bigger, until she stirred!
"She moving!" Gokuu exclaimed.
"Bulma?" Vegeta said breathlessly.
She stirred. Her eyes opened and focused on her husband. "V…Vegeta? What happened?"
Vegeta smiled (!). "It's okay, Bulma. You've come back to me! Everything's going to be all right now!"
She smiled back at him and took his hand in hers. A rousing chorus of celebration echoed throughout the Palace!
Lina awoke first. Her eyes opened dreamily as she took in the sleeping, peaceful form of Zel. His wounds were bandaged and his breathing was deep. She smiled as she looked upon his face and laid her head back down on his exposed chest. She had a wonderful feeling of peace, wishing this day wouldn't end. She laid in his arms for hours, until he finally awoke.
"Good morning," he said with a smile.
"Good morning," she answered back with a sigh. "Sleep well?"
"Oh yeah. You?"
"Mmmm. Yes."
"Do you…want to get up?"
"Not right now, let's stay here for a while longer." They hugged each other and stayed in bed until the sun came up.
Everyone else celebrated the day with the return of Bulma. Dende and Mr. Popo were very busy preparing food and getting everything set up. Gokuu and Gohan were talking of Gohan's studies abroad, younger Trunks was spending time with his father and mother, Goten, Tien, and Krillin were playing games, the only others beside Lina and Zel who weren't partying were Piccolo and Future Trunks. They excused themselves quietly from the party and were brooding in silence back at the foyer.
Piccolo was still upset over the treachery of Xellos, and he was still out there. Xellos was subtle and quite powerful. He would be an opponent that would prove hard to defeat. Probably just as hard as Valgav had been. Piccolo did not relish the thought of another battle so soon after the one they just fought. It brought more frustration to him to realize that him, along with the other z warriors couldn't pick up his energy signature until he revealed himself. By that time, Xellos could be right on top of them ready to attack!
Trunks was lost in his memories and thoughts. Bulma had been successfully revived and everything would return to normal here, thanks to Gokuu and his friends. If only Babidi and that Buu creature never appeared! His mother's death had been a needless one, thanks to that pink creature's insane bloodlust. At least she was alive again in this timeline. Still, it wasn't his mother. His mother was turned into a cookie and eaten, without so much regard as someone eating a bowl of rice. Memories flooded him, happy times between his mother and himself, times he spent training with his mentor, Gohan, destroying the androids and Cell, helping to rebuild humanity from the ground up. A single tear dropped from his cheek as he felt despair grip him. It wasn't fair! He had to find a way to bring back his mother! There had to be a way!
The night passed away uneventfully. Lina and Zel got out of bed to get some food and spent the rest of the night in each other's arms. Bulma, young Trunks, and Vegeta already said their good-byes and headed for home. Gohan said goodbye as well, his studies needed to be resumed. He took Goten home as well. Krillin, Yaumcha, and Tien went their separate ways, leaving Gokuu, Future Trunks and Piccolo behind to look for a way to find the elusive Xellos. The warriors greeted Lina and Zel the following morning.
"Good morning!" Gokuu said smiling.
The two other worlders blushed and smiled back. Trunks and Piccolo looked more serious than Gokuu and nodded their greetings. "So everything's turned out okay! Things were a little scary for a bit, but we won!" Lina was very happy this morning.
"We're not out of the woods yet," Piccolo said flatly. "We still need to find Xellos, and get you back to your world."
"Yeah," Gokuu confirmed. "The three of us decided to let the others return home. We'll take it from here."
"Thanks," Lina replied. "We can't thank you enough for everything you all have done for us."
"Yeah," Zel said appreciatively, "thanks."
"No problem! What are friends for?" Gokuu said.
Trunks said nothing while the others talked, he stared at Lina intensely. She noticed and walked over to him. "What's the matter?"
"I'd like to talk to you in private."
"Uh…okay." She turned to the others, "We'll be right back."
The rounded the corner and walked back toward the inside of the palace. When they got to the main hall Trunks stopped. Lina looked at him questioningly. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Before you say anything," he started, looking Lina squarely in the eyes, "I want you to hear me out."
She nodded, "Sure."
"I want…I want to go with you."
"What?"
"I want to go with you back to your world. There's nothing for me here, and there's nothing for me back in my time. I can't stay here, and I can't go back. This is the only other option left for me."
"But…" she started, "my world is very different from yours. The technology of my world isn't nearly as advanced as this one."
He smiled ruefully. "In my time there isn't much technology. I lived without it."
She started to say something else, but thought better of it. She smiled at him," Sure! Why not? We'd be glad to have you tag along! It'll be fun!"
Trunks smiled back," Thank you!"
The two walked back and were in for a surprise! There, Zel, Gokuu and Piccolo were all in defensive stances. Across from them was Xellos, smiling as usual!
"You picked a great place to fight," Gokuu said.
"I'm not here to fight," Xellos laughed, "I'm here to take the others home."
"Right," Zel said sarcastically," I hope you won't take offense if we don't exactly trust you."
"I'm hurt," Xellos said with mock dejection.
"It's okay," Lina called out. The others turned to her with questioning expressions.
"Lina?" Zel asked.
"Don't worry about it," she replied back casually. She walked up to Xellos and smiled back at him.
Xellos sweatdropped and tried to back up, but Piccolo was behind him in an instant, giving Xellos no room to maneuver.
"Hi Xellos!" she said evilly.
"Uh, hi Lina," he stammered.
"We're almost ready to go."
"Almost?"
"Yep. There's just one thing I need to do first."
"What's that Lina?"
"This." She punched him in the gut. Xellos doubled over, coughing. "That's what you get for messing with us!" Her rage was a sight to behold! Both Trunks and Gokuu smiled as they watched Lina punch, kick, and punch Xellos some more. Satisfied in her work she grabbed the Dark Heart from Xellos. "Now we can go."
"Whatever you say Lina," Xellos said shakily.
She walked over to Gokuu and kissed him on the cheek. "What was that for?" he asked, blushing.
"That's for being a true friend. I can't thank you enough for all the help you gave."
"It was my pleasure," he replied, still blushing. "Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."
She smiled. "You never know."
Zel and Piccolo shook hands, saying their good-byes, then Zel shook hands with Gokuu. "It's been a pleasure, I think." Zel said.
"Till next time," Gokuu replied.
"What are you going to do Trunks?" Piccolo asked.
"I'm going with them."
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Well, good luck then," Gokuu declared shaking his hand. "It's been a pleasure fighting with you again."
"Anytime." The two warriors smiled at each other.
"Can we go now?" Xellos complained.
"Right!" Lina exclaimed. She held up the Dark Heart, and with a few simple words of power, activated it. A portal of blue smoke opened above the travelers and enveloped them. In a flash, they were gone!
"Well," Gokuu sighed. "I guess I'll be heading home. It was nice fighting with you Piccolo. You should stop by some time."
"Gokuu," Piccolo asked, "Do you think we'll see them again?"
Gokuu smiled as he stared at the clouds in the sky. A warm breeze flowed past the two warriors. "You never know, Piccolo. But I think we will, someday!"
THE END
It was a bit sappy, but that's how it goes. Further adventures of Trunks and Lina will be forthcoming in a few days or so. If you liked this story you might want to check it out. This story was a pleasure to write and I hope you liked it, being my first fic and all. Till next time! Keep reading! –Mezzic.
