Chapter 15 – Fantasy and Reality

After leaving the Aurora, Trunks flies swiftly, like a ghost, across the Tundra Sector. He observes how differently the area looks during the day. The white wasteland gradually shows some vegetation the farther he advances until it turns into a lush green forest of trees and other foliage.

Trunks: A forest area, too? Should've known…

The Forest Sector, made as a memorial of Zyxoiar's forgotten youth, flourishes through only a small fraction of the island, along the outskirts of the Jungle and Tundra Sectors. Trunks easily navigates through it, as if he'd been there before, and breaks into the clearing.

Zyxoiar is sitting at the edge of a cliff, gazing out at the sunrise. Trunks walks over and stands next to her. Minutes of silence go by, neither knowing exactly what to say.

One of them shatters the silence.

(Zyxoiar)
I don't know what happened. It's like something told me to do it - kill everyone, destroy everything. It never got this bad. I guess I lost my head. All these feelings I had were bottled up inside for such a long time they exploded; all that heartache and angst.

"You can stay alive with hope," Ioni always said. It was hard to live by that alone. When I was ten, he quit working altogether. The androids were terrorizing the mountain regions. We found ourselves running away constantly from them, going throughout villages, towns, cities – only to find survivors trying to deal with what they had left. It was never long before they caught up with us. We had to pretend to be dead just so they wouldn't notice us. It was four years of hell. Even thought he tried to train me to fight, he never wanted me to stay. He always looked out for what was best for me.

But, that last time still pains me to remember. I thought I was strong enough to take them on so me being a stupid teen snuck out and looked for them. I found them fighting Gohan, only I didn't know it was him at the time. I was going to help him, but then someone came from behind and pushed me away – it was Ioni.

He saw a stray energy beam before I did. It hit him in the leg, ripping it off as it passed by. I dragged him behind the remains of a building. "Get out of here!" he kept yelling at me to do. But I couldn't just leave him; he was the only person I could call family. His bleeding didn't stop no matter what I tried to do to slow it. Even though he didn't show it, I could tell he was suffering from too much blood loss and intense pain. He knew he was going to die there. But then, he took out an envelope and told me to use his ideas.

With his last words, he said to me, "The winds change. Ride them." Then, another stray beam hit him – this time in the chest. He managed to say "Don't let the Guardian get you!" just before he died, the only person I knew that cared about me. The fighting started to get too intense. I barely got away from that section of the city before it vaporized.

I went back around nightfall…when it was raining…only to find his body in worse shape, lying in dried blood. What little flesh he had left on his body burnt completely; his organs were hanging out from the puncture in his chest. It was all my fault he died.

He left designs of things he had been working on for years. None of it made any sense, but everything could merge. I found someone who would and could help me – a large group of people who had access to anything they wanted. They knew what Ioni was trying to prove. We worked for a few years on it and modifying some of it, but they all died in a bar when it got blown up before it could be completed. There weren't many things left to do, some basic things. During that whole time, I trained hard – sometimes to the point of killing myself. All I could think about was that day when I could take revenge on the androids.

At first, I wanted to go back to before they killed Ioni, but I miscalculated something and ended up at this time instead. I went searching for them, but I found someone else; someone who looked familiar. He never told me much about himself except for his name – Ioni. I couldn't let him know anything about myself so I made up a name, Quidam.

One time he fell and bumped into me; I caught him. After I helped him up, he kept groveling and calling me "My Liege". The thing that bothered me the most was the way his eyes stared at me with those black scleras. It was like I knew exactly what I did, how I did it, and how I could make him do what I wanted. When I stopped him, he had no concept of what happened to him.

I didn't control him again – that is, until I found out that the androids weren't heard of anywhere. No one saw them. I wanted to do something to get all this anger out. It wasn't like the kind of anger you feel after an argument or when someone just died – it was much too strong, much too deep – and my wings intensified that feeling. It was as if they wanted me to fight.

It was exactly then when something snapped. I thought I could easily destroy this planet and others by summoning up its strongest fighters and killing them off. It was like something wanting me to do it. I was oblivious to what I'd destroy or who I'd hurt by doing so. I trained Ioni for a year and in that time, he rapidly got stronger. His personality started to change; he even wanted me to call him Fujitsu. I don't know how, but he was able to contact others from other planets to help.

Nothing really put me back into reality until I saw that part of the medallion fall from your pocket. All of those memories just came back to me; that entire night came back. I don't know how I could forget all that happened. Until last night, all I could remember was that I found the one person I wanted to stay with, but didn't know whom.

Now that I recall everything, I can say you were and still are the only one who I feel close to - like there's something that makes us one. But still…all those lives that I took away, and even yours... this ache that's eating through me…
(end Zyxoiar)

Trunks (to himself): How could she seem... so human now? I know she's good inside, but…

Zyxoiar (turns her head to him): How are you feeling?

Trunks: You didn't have to.

Zyxoiar: I wanted to. (smiling) Come and sit.

Trunks (sitting next to her): Umm…there's something…

Zyxoiar: Wait. Tell me something first. Do you think I meant to do everything I've done so far?

Trunks remains silent, startled at the question.

Zyxoiar: I don't blame you for thinking so. (pauses) I always thought suicide was the coward's way out, but I don't know what else to do…

She places both pieces of the charm on the cold ground and grabs a marble handle from the back of her boot, sliding the object upward. The silver piece revels itself as she draws it up to her throat. Trunks grabs the dagger.

Trunks: Zyxoiar…you don't want to do this.

She turns and peers into his being. His eyes are drawn into her's - looking for something, some sort of answer. He finds much more; the transformation from a cold killer to someone he once knew. He sees the death-like veil lifting. The warm gridelin glow of her eyes, the same from her youth, has returned. However, they no longer possess their daunting reflection. Instead, they seem desperate and full of eternal anguish, the only renewed symbol of her debauched mind. She turns away and replies.

Zyxoiar: You don't know what I want to do.

Trunks: You-- you really didn't mean to… Listen…Shenlon…it will revive anyone who you killed. It really does bring back life. It brought me back once already.

Zyxoiar remains silent. Trunks, for some reason unknown to him, is now desperate to get her to feel better one way or another.

Trunks: I remember how you got me up a mountain and showed me how to use my wings. But before we got there, you got me to chase you up there. You called it a game and said that playing it was suppose to keep me from thinking about what was happening in the rest of the world.

He recovers both halves of Hope's Promise and gently nudges Zyxoiar with his elbow, attempting to get her attention, and jumps to his feet.

Trunks: Come on. This is when you chase me.

Zyxoiar: What?

Trunks takes hold Zyxoiar's hands, helping her up. He then continues to fly upward and doesn't let go until they both are several meters off the ground.

Trunks: Come on. Chase me. You did come up with this. Try it.

He flies away from her, then stops and notices her hesitating.

Zyxoiar: Trunks…

Trunks: What's wrong?

Zyxoiar: It just feels…so demeaning…

Trunks: That shouldn't matter – for now at least.

Zyxoiar: All right…

Zyxoiar begins to fly slowly toward Trunks, but he continuously flees from her. She starts to speed up.

Zyxoiar: Stay…

Trunks turns around after hearing Zyxoiar and hovers in the same place, waiting for her to catch up. Just as she's about to touch him, he descends downward toward the ground and pulls back up.

Trunks: Can't read my mind now, can you?

Zyxoiar disappears and reappears right in front of him and ready to strike. Trunks lunges backwards. She unsuspectingly continues to advance to him and each time Trunks just escapes her grasp.

Zyxoiar (slightly laughing): Trunks…you won't stop, will you?

Trunks: Not until you catch me.

Each time the Harbinger of Death catches up, the Guardian of Life pulls out of her reach and keeps ahead. The two once great enemies continue to play, carelessly soaring across the prematurely glowing dawn filled sky until Zyxoiar vanishes from view again. She reappears right behind him and rams him in the back with the side of her arm. Trunks gyrates around and grabs both of her forearms, thinking she was attacking him again and expected to see her hardened face once again. Instead, he finds her bursting into laughter with warm tears streaming from her closed eyes, winding about her cheeks, and trickling down her neck.

Zyxoiar (breathlessly): I don't even remember…the last time…I laughed like this!

Trunks sighs in relief. She calms down as he slips one hand away to cup her cheek, gently cradling it in his palm. Zyxoiar presses his hand closer, not used to the strangely soft sensation, as if to prolong its warmth and tenderness.

Trunks (smiling): Zya…

Zyxoiar: Zya – it's been so long since I've heard that name…too long…

One brief moment turns into an eternity. Everything – the world, the universe, and even time – stands still for them. A light breeze dances about them.

Trunks: Oh, wait. I have this for you.

Somehow knowing it was in his pocket, he takes out a now whole Hope's Promise. Zyxoiar looks at it with the same fervor she has for Trunks.

Zyxoiar: ...our medallion...It's whole again...

Trunks (to himself): What's wrong with me? She killed me…and…and brought me back…

Zyxoiar (to herself): Why am I feeling this way? I wanted to kill him earlier, but now…seeing him like this… (she glances off at the sunset, only yearning to see his face again) Look at the sunrise. See how the sun's rays reflect over the sea? (lifts her head up and peers deeply into Trunks' loving brilliant-blue eyes with her deep lilac ones) It can draw you in with it's spell…

They both lean closer into one another.

Trunks: Yeah.

Zyxoiar (whispering while leaning closer): …and trap you.

The two lean closer to each other, oblivious to the world around them, oblivious to the legend separating them. A light breeze gently wraps about the two. The moment becomes ripe with desires. The two dive in, sharing a long, tender, passionate kiss. Both the Wings of the Harbinger and the Guardian exfoliate. With nothing else besides the wind and each other, Zyxoiar and Trunks stay adrift in midair, hovering around the world carefree.

Something more than just Hope's Promise takes effect – even greater than their friendship or the forbidden passion emerged from the legend separating them. Something drives the two to feel for one another, for one longing to stay with the other.

Both in each others' arms, Trunks strokes Zyxoiar's silky hair has she rests her chin on his broad shoulder.

Zyxoiar (whispering): I wish we could stay like this forever…

She abruptly thrusts Trunks away. A sharp, burning sensation in her abdomen overwhelms her. She stops short, frozen with panic on her face and fear in her eyes. Trunks cautiously advances back to her. Zyxoiar's eyes set on Trunks again, as if for the last time, and start to close. With reassurance of his presence, she gently drifts towards the earth. He catches her, scooping her up in his arms.

Trunks: Zya…? Are…you…?

He watches as life starts to vacate her body. His face starts to reveal terror. Demanding to know who did this, he turns toward where the beam came from. He sees a familiar figure, hand still aimed at the two.