by Becky Tailweaver
Chapter 2: Warrior of Hellfire
Trunks yawned, shook himself, and increased his speed. Rubbing his eyes and frowning, he mentally chided himself for nodding off in midair. Although he wouldn't exactly drop like a stone if he did fall asleep, he would gradually lose speed and altitude until he fell from the air altogether. This is the single most boring flight I've ever had. It's like a slow airplane ride! He'd lost track of how many hours he'd been flying.
Nothing but puffy golden clouds as far as the eye could see; perhaps, from Gohan's description, this was where the Flying Nimbus clouds came from. Gohan had spoken of his father's little golden cloud often enough, telling of the exhilarating rides he'd had as a child. Trunks sighed, envying his deceased mentor's idyllic early childhood. At least Gohan had gotten to live a normal life for a while, in his family's little house in the woods. Heck, he'd even gotten to keep his tail long enough to remember it. Trunks didn't remember his; it had been removed when he was an infant to prevent disasters from happening, leaving only a barely noticeable circular scar above what would be a human's tailbone.
I've never even seen an Ozaru, Trunks thought. It can't be all that bad. What was all the fuss about? Nothing a Super Saiyan couldn't handle... Not for the first time, Trunks wondered what it was like to actually have a Saiyan tail. One of the many things he'd never experience...and hadn't even been able to ask his Past Time father about.
"Why did I have to grow up in a living hell?" he wondered loudly, just to hear a voice, just to hear a noise other than the wind rushing past his ears.
"You should see what it's like actually living in Hell!"
Trunks nearly fell out of the air in shock at the harsh, gruff voice that echoed over the clouds. As it was, he dropped his speed and scanned his surroundings. Wary of attack, he pulled in to land on the stretch of Snake Way beneath him. "Who's there?" he demanded, keeping his golden aura flaring protectively around himself.
There was a gravelly chuckle behind him, and he whirled. A tall man stood there, wearing battered leather armor. He had short, wildly spiky black hair. Something about his hair, face, and eyes made Trunks think of Goku, but the resemblance ended there. The stranger's voice was hard and his expression cruel.
"Hello, little Prince," the stranger said with a feral smirk. "So, you think you're a Super Saiyan, do you?"
"What are you talking about?" Trunks demanded. "I am a Super Saiyan! Who are you?"
The stranger grimaced, baring his teeth. "I am Lerzett! I was born a thousand years ago, and I am the true Super Saiyan!"
Trunks jerked back, surprised. "What? Impossible!" He noticed at that moment the furred brown tail wrapped like a belt around the other's waist.
"I am the one they speak of in legend," Lerzett said, his voice proud and dark. "I am the one feared by all the enemies of my race! I am he who first struck fear into the heart of King Cold, and turned Freeza a coward who destroyed the Saiyans rather than face the likes of me! You are but a false offshoot, a mistake who shouldn't even exist! Look you, little Prince, how the other pretenders have fallen! That one called Kakarot, and his whelp, known even in the pits of Hell for their power--and even your noble sire, who tried so hard to reach this gloried state! Great warriors though they were, they were not worthy! I, only I have the true power!"
"In case you hadn't noticed, you're dead too," Trunks stated, keeping in his fighting stance. "What makes you so great?"
"I am the legendary Super Saiyan!" Lerzett bellowed, clenching his fists. "That fateful day, when I first came into my power--it was so great, I could hardly control myself. The power...so bright! So pure! But I foolishly looked upon the moon...and when I became a great golden Ozaru, all control was lost. I destroyed myself, my team, and the planet upon which we stood in a single great explosion."
"Nice job," Trunks commented.
"But things have changed," Lerzett said with a snarl. "Now, after a millenium of training, I have reached my peak! I am the greatest! And I shall prove it."
"What do you want from me?"
"Simple." Lerzett smiled horribly. "Your death."
Trunks bared his teeth. "You wish."
"You are the last of the false Super Saiyans. When I have destroyed you, I shall have the power to break the bonds of the dead and return to life! The universe will be mine to command!"
"You can't do that!"
"Watch me, you little half-breed!"
Trunks gritted his teeth, suddenly stung. He knew that he was a hybrid, the mixture of two races, but he'd never had someone hurl that name in his face like an insult. In fact, no one had ever said it to him in his life--not even the worst of his enemies. "All right then," he growled, setting his feet, clenching his fists, and gathering his power. "Come try and take me!"
Lerzett screamed, a sound that echoed with madness. Golden power flared around him, washing his hair yellow and his eyes blue--but not aqua green, like Trunks' and the others. The brown tail became the color of the hair, and uncoiled and lashed with a life of its own.
"Is that all you've got?" Trunks sneered as Lerzett reached his peak. The last Prince of the Saiyans laughed a laugh that might have come from Vegeta himself--and let his ki explode.
"What power...!" Lerzett actually flinched back before steeling himself. He couldn't sense Trunks' energy, but he could feel the force of it washing over him; pushing through his own aura, tingling his skin, blowing through his hair. He gritted his teeth. "No matter--your fireworks can't save you!" The long-dead Saiyan charged, and the battle was joined.
Trunks easily blocked and dodged the maddened Saiyan's blows. The other wasn't even at the level Goku had been when he'd defeated Freeza during his first experience with Super Saiyan. Lerzett talked big, and had probably been the hottest warrior of his generation, but he apparently had no firsthand experience with the powerful beings that existed in this time. He knocked Lerzett away yet again, causing the other to howl in rage.
"Impossible! How can such a whelp have more power than I?"
"Times have changed, old man," said Trunks. "You've been left behind."
"Nooo!" Lerzett charged up and let loose with a barrage of energy spheres. Trunks deflected them all, bouncing them away with one hand. Lerzett screamed again, and this time fired an enormous golden blast.
Trunks centered his hands on his enemy and cut loose with a yell. The massive beam smashed into Lerzett's, driving it back. Lerzett roared as the beam struck him, forcing him back, burning him and hurling him far away.
"Heh." Trunks puffed out a breath. "Some people..." He leaped out of the way of another massive ki-blast that hurled his way.
"Do not think me defeated so easily, pup!" Lerzett did a flyby, blasting away at him, impacting Snake Way as Trunks dodged.
"You fool!" Trunks growled. "Go back to Hell where you belong! I've got no more time to waste with you!"
"You're the fool, little half-breed." Lerzett laughed in that bone-chilling way again. "You've underestimated your opponent. Did your parents teach you nothing of your race?" Lerzett's manical laugh grew louder.
"What are you babbling about?" Trunks snarled. "There's nothing you can do to me now! I'm much stronger than you!"
Lerzet merely chuckled. "So you are, little Prince, so you are. You have the edge in power over me now. But I have something you do not!"
Trunks braced himself as the glow appeared between Lerzett's palms. If the idiot wanted to continue the fight, it was no concern of Trunks' if he wanted to get himself killed--again. But why was he shooting that energy ball straight up into the air and not at Trunks himself...?
"Little Prince," Lerzett snarled, "I have learned a great deal from the dead warriors of this era. This technique is more than valuable. I'm grateful to the warriors that gave it to me!" The insane Super Saiyan laughed loudly again and turned his gaze to the big white ball.
Trunks looked up at it as well, wondering what horrendous attack would come from it. Was it like a Spirit Bomb? Some sort of massive explosive? Or even a sharp, cutting attack? Something about the light made him tingle with danger.
But its soft glow also ran shivers of a primal wildness through him. The same as the way he felt back home, when on some nights he would feel so restless that he had to get up and go explore, flying over the mountains or stalking through the woods, the moon shining round and bright above him...
The moon!
The sudden, flaring increase in his opponent's ki brought Trunks' head back around to see Lerzett in the throes of some awful change. The half-human warrior stared in shock as the other Saiyan's body twisted and enlarged. He fell back in horror at the massive transformation, in awe of the gigantic golden beast that now stood before him on the narrow span of Snake Way. He felt a shiver of fear when the crimson eyes turned to him and the long jaws parted in a grin to reveal massive, sharp teeth, the canines easily as long as his own sword.
"Now what do you think?" came the rough, rumbling bass voice. "You're barely a mouthful to me now!"
Trunks stepped back again, feeling suddenly like an ant in the face of this fifty-foot monster. The odd mentions of Ozaru form increasing one's ki came back to him; those times long ago when Gohan had made an offhand comment...something about Vegeta's power rising by a factor of ten? Trunks believed it; the gigantic were-beast before him now had a fighting power that was nearly equal to his own. Although still not as powerful as himself, he didn't know what Lerzett could do with his new form.
Dammit, nobody ever told me anything about Ozaru! he mentally groused, even as he shivered with revulsion at the thought of the transformation--and the knowlege that another horrifying creature just like this one was buried somewhere within him. And only a little while ago he'd been wondering what it would be like! Well, shoot, he didn't want to twist his body into a monster like that! Just seeing it was scary enough, thank you very much!
Lerzett didn't give him time to contemplate further; the golden Ozaru leaped forward with shocking speed for a creature so large, attempting to flatten him to the road with his huge palms. Trunks took to the air, darting, dodging the massive, hairy limbs and looking for an opening.
Lerzett was overpoweringly fast and incredibly strong. Snake Way groaned beneath his weight. Trunks gasped and dodged a blasting breath of ki, so close he could feel the boiling heat of it. Just his luck; Lerzett could fly just as well in this form, too. A backhand caught him with bruising force, flinging him out over the clouds. He struggled to right himself, then dodged just in time to avoid Lerzett's charge.
I could just leave, but I don't want to lead this damn ape all the way to King Kai's! Trunks thought, teeth gritted. He ducked another paw-swipe and hid under a curve of Snake Way, buying himself a few seconds' breathing room. Besides, who knows what trouble he'll cause if he escapes Heaven's Gate?
"Time to end this," he whispered, bringing out his razor-edged sword. He'd teach this overstuffed gorilla a thing or two.
"Where are you, little flea?" Lerzett rumbled, casting about. "I hear you, smell you--I know you've not fled!"
Trunks tensed, braced, then darted out of his hiding place, sword swinging. He caught Lerzett across the back, opening a bloody gash across the golden pelt. The beast howled in anger.
"Damn, the little flea bites!" Lerzett roared, both mocking and enraged. "I'll crush you out of existence! The Deathking won't be able to find all your pieces!"
Trunks flew in and out, dodging ki-blasts and flailing limbs, managing to get a few cuts in here and there. Lerzett's ki-shield was up now--he was on-guard to Trunks' sword--and it was particularly thick because of his current form. Trunks took several glancing hits; bruised and bloodied, he continued to dodge. Several times, he came close to getting incinerated, the leading edge of a massive ki-blast clipping him in the side. He took the full brunt of another shot; he shrugged it off, but it nearly cracked his shield. He had to use all of his agility to keep from being snatched out of the air by either of Lerzett's van-sized hands, or struck by that tail, which he used like a whip...
The tail!
Trunks remembered his mother's words about the tail being an utter necessity for a Saiyan's transformation, which was why Trunks' own fifth appendage had been removed. Without it, any Ozaru would immediately revert back to his humanoid form, and have even less power than when he started out.
Yes! If I can get that tail, I'll have him! Trunks let an eager grin grace his features. He feinted toward's Lerzett's face, throwing the Ozaru off-balance and forcing him to step back. While the Ozaru teetered, Trunks dove beneath his legs and straight up, aiming for the tail--as thick as his own body--that presented an easy target--
The target vanished when Lerzett backflipped away from him. Trunks, overbalanced from his attempted swing, cursed out loud his lousy memory--he'd forgotten again the great beast's uncanny agility. He didn't have time to say anything more before a massive paw struck him in midair, knocking him to the roadbed like a meteorite and flinging his sword out of his grasp.
Before he could even finish clearing his head, Lerzett had him in his grip.
The massive paw squeezed him with crushing force, pinning his arms to his sides and grinding his bones together. Trunks grunted as he resisted with all his strength, trying to force the ape's fingers open.
"Heh heh heh!" the Ozaru laughed, a thick, choking sound, holding the half-Saiyan close to his face. "I have you, little mouse. You can't escape me now! I'll enjoy crushing you like an insect. I'll pulp your bones and savor your taste! Your power will feed me..."
Trunks gaped up at the crimson eyes, the grinning toothy muzzle, and realized without a doubt that Lerzett was totally insane. He stifled a cry as the grip grew horribly tight, forcing the breath out of him and making his ribs creak ominously.
A sudden sense of panic welled up within him. He was afraid--suddenly, fear dominated his mind, bringing with it desperation and frantic action. Long ago, he'd discovered as a child that he was claustrophobic; his mother later told him she'd discovered, from her years with Vegeta, that it was a trait common to the animalistic Saiyan race. All of them, from the mightiest prince to the humblest third-class warrior, feared being enclosed, bound, or trapped. Suffocation or a strong sense of inescapable restraint triggered the highly reactive panic state--a dangerous state when dealing with a Saiyan.
"It's useless to struggle, little Prince!" Lerzett growled. "Your life is mine!"
Trunks snarled wordlessly, eyes wild and teeth bared. He couldn't breathe, so he made no sound, but as his eyes went wide and blank with breathless panic, golden power suddenly exploded from him in a hot, terrible rush, ripping through Lerzett's giant paw. The furious, panicked blast of ki incinerated skin, tore through muscle, and splintered bone, leaving the Ozaru's hand a burned, bloody, fingerless mess. The massive burst singed most of the skin from Lerzett's arm, shoulder chest, and face; one eye was irrepairably scorched, half-blinding him. A good portion of the fangs on one side of his mouth were broken out and bleeding, and most of the ear on that side was gone. Trunks was dropped like a hot rock as the beast reared back and howled in pain; in one flaring moment Lerzett had gone from a confident captor to a badly wounded monster.
Free, Trunks fell to the road, gasping for air and holding his bruised ribs, feeling shaky from his rush of adrenaline and drained from his uncontrolled discharge of ki. Staggering to his feet and halfheartedly brushing at his gore-spattered clothes, he struggled to maintain his Super Saiyan state after going so long without oxygen. Desperate, he cast about for his sword and spotted it resting just at the edge of the road ten yards away behind Lerzett.
"You little half-breed bastard!" Lerzett roared, clutching at his mangled hand and flailing about, trying to crush the half-Saiyan that darted past him. Trunks dodged and went for the sword. "I'll kill you! I'll stomp you to pulp and burn you to ashes!"
Lerzet went after him. Trunks dived beneath a paw-swipe, rolled, and grabbed for his weapon.
"I'll wipe every trace of you out of this world and then I'll kill everyone who knows your name! I'll--aaaaagh!"
Lerzett found his good hand pinned flat to Snake Way by Trunks' razor-sharp sword. Panting, Trunks held firm to the handgrip and kept the blade lodged deep in the flesh and stone, exherting all the ki-force he could muster to keep that hand down. "Now...you..." he gritted out, a corona of yellow-gold fire building around him. He raised one hand, palm out, towards the great Ozaru's chest. "Go to Hell."
"Nooooooo!"
The golden flash shattered the thick ki-shield and blasted through the giant beast's chest like a rifle bullet through a pumpkin, opening a car-sized hole in the Ozaru's torso. The pinned hand tore free as the great body heaved in a spasm, overbalancing on the narrow confines of Snake Way. Roaring through bloody foam, Lerzett screamed out his hatred in one final, sputtering energy blast before vanishing through the golden clouds. His rageful howl echoed through the heavens as he fell, swearing vengeance as he returned to the hellfires he'd come from.
Immediately, Trunks dropped out of Super Saiyan, falling to one knee on the road and gasping for breath. He was bone weary from the drawn-out confrontation, and terribly sore from Lerzett's Mack-truck blows. Damn me for an overconfident fool, he mentally growled at himself. It's been a month since I fought Cell, and I could feel it even against him: I'm slipping. I was so lousy against Lerzett it isn't even funny! Just one stupid ape and I'm almost canned! Solo training's great, but I need live opponents--I'm losing my edge!
"Shoot," he grunted aloud, using his sword to brace himself to his feet. "Bad loss of control, too." What was the matter with me--what was the deal with that big explosion? I can't believe I just blew up like that, whether the Saiyan was crushing me or not!
Sore and tired, he reached to his side, to the pouch of senzu carried there--but his hand only contacted charred fabric and burned flesh. He winced as his clumsy fingers brushed his wound. He hadn't realized he was injured that badly; that first blast of Lerzett's that had clipped him must have burned into his side, cutting through his shield before he could compensate. Dammit, I am getting soft! Now that he realized he had the wound, it began to throb and sting, making his problems just that much worse. But more importantly, his method of recovery from his battle was seriously crimped.
"Where the hell are my senzu?" he snarled suddenly, whirling--and wobbling--to search up and down the visible length of Snake Way. "Damn! Don't tell me that bastard disintegrated my senzu! Arrgh!" Pitching a rather royal fit--that is, glowering furiously and berating himself and his former opponent--he raised his eyes to the heavens and wondered, "Rrrr...why me? Why here and now, of all places? Why can't anything ever go my way for a change?"
He was sure it was due to whatever damnable luck had already cursed him to a lonely existence as the last Saiyan warrior left in the world. Unable to locate the precious bundle of beans, Trunks glared up and down Snake Way, sheathing his sword and hoping he'd have enough energy to make it to his destination. Then he realized something.
"Oh, great. Which way do I go?" he moaned, great weariness washing over him. The danger and battle gone, all the rage and adrenaline that had been supporting him was melting away like snow. His knees were quivering, and the sword strapped to his back felt like a lead weight. The furious fight had gotten him turned around on Snake Way; both directions looked the same, and he was too drained from his carelessly explosive discharge of ki to sense anything outside a hundred miles. "Oh, no..."
Trunks desperately did not want to be lost in the After Realms. He looked both ways, like a child before crossing the street; he was certain a truck--or at least some more bad karma--was going to run him down. He let his heart guide him...or at least that's what he thought it was. It could also be his stomach; King Kai was rumored to be a wonderful cook, and he was absolutely starving after his fight.
Staggering slightly, the weary, wounded half-Saiyan picked a direction and began walking. His steps were slow and tired but firm and determined. "What the hell. I've got nothing to lose but my life. I just hope I'm going the right way..."
Put your faith in what you most believe in;
Two worlds, one family.
Trust your heart, let Fate decide
To guide these lives we see.
--Phil Collins, "Two Worlds, One Family"
To be continued...