A raspy scream echoed through Capsule Corporation, and everyone rushed to where Krilan had gone. They stood, transfixed, in the doorway, staring at Ryoko.
Ryoko was floating in the air above a pale, unmoving Krilan. She had a light in her hands, and it disappeared. Ryoko started laughing.
"Krilan!" Goku cried.
"Daddy!" Marron shrieked, and ran towards her father, 18 close behind.
"Krilan!" 18 cried, then angrily looked up at Ryoko when Krilan didn't respond. Ryoko was only a super saiyan, and that meant that 18 was far more powerful than her. She jumped into the air, getting ready to attack Ryoko.
Ryoko only grinned and before 18 reached her, she started screaming, her body seaming to have red electricity flowing around it. She landed on the ground next to her husband. Ryoko eyed Trunks and Vegeta and grinned again.
"The time has come." She said. Purple energy surrounded her, then spread, making Capsule Corp. deteriorate until there was nothing left but rubble. Gasps that turned into yelling came from Bulma, and whimpering came from Mai, who was hiding behind Gohan.
"Ryoko! What did you do to my house?!" Bulma screamed. Ryoko only laughed, then transformed into a taller, purple haired girl with purple eyes.
"I am no longer Ryoko." She said. "My name is Ceres."
"Ceres?" Everyone murmured, except Goku.
"You do not belong here, Ceres." Goku said. Ceres only laughed.
"Kakarott!" Vegeta cried, stepping forward. "I demand to know what is going on!"
"What's the big deal, Goku?" Ceres asked. Goku sighed.
"At the beginning of time," he started, "there was a immense battle that took place. It was pure evil against the good, and the Kai's were weak. It was desperate times, so the Supreme Kai created someone that is known as The Guardian, someone with stronger power than that of the Ryuukazes'. They fought, and in the end, the Guardian died, giving all of her power up to imprison the six Ryuukaze."
"And so I was created." Ceres said. "In case that Ryuukaze should ever become loose. So here I am."
"Supreme Kai knew that Ryuukaze would be coming back." Goku continued. "So he had Chichi and I have Ryoko, along with Gohan. Ryoko was born for the soul purpose to reserve a body for Ceres, until the time came that Ceres would be needed." Goku glared at Ceres. "But you are not needed, you are not the true guardian!"
"And you are?" Ceres asked in a mocking tone.
"I'm about as strong as you are." Goku said. "You're at the same level as I."
"What does that mean?" Piccolo asked.
"A Guardian could only come out of Other World if a Ryuukaze was present, and so other terrible things occurred on Earth in that time." Goku stated.
"Why couldn't The Guardian come out?" Tien asked.
"Because as long as Ryuukaze wasn't terrorizing the Earth, there was always hope." Goku said. "That's why I am able to transform into a Guardian. I am known as the Guardian of the Earth." He looked at Trunks and Vegeta. "In Trunks' world, I was long dead. So there was no Earth Guardian, and so Trunks became it." Trunks' eyes widened. "And Vegeta is the Guardian of saiyans, even though there are not many left. We may be Guardians, but our power is no match to the real one." Goku looked back at Ceres. "But like I said, you are not the true Guardian!" She laughed.
"Then who, might I ask, might it be?" She asked, then shook her head. "No, never mind. That's a silly question. Why am I not the Guardian, pray tell?"
"Because you cannot produce the purity chalice." Goku answered. Ceres laughed again.
"You do not need a Purity Chalice to have ultimate strength."
"Purity Chalice?" Trunks asked. No one was noticing that someone's chi was fading quickly.
"A Purity Chalice means you have one of the purest hearts in existence." Goku said. "As we Guardians have. When I first transformed for Vegeta, I told Gohan to hold back Ryoko instead of Trunks. Since you two have not found your Purity Chalice, you are vulnerable and someone could take it from you and have access to your power." Ceres started laughing.
"Ah, wonderful." She said. "This body is all mine now. Too bad you couldn't say goodbye to your precious Ryoko." Everyone's eyes widened and their jaw dropped.
"Ryoko!" Trunks cried, not believing that she was actually gone. But now he realized, he could not feel her chi or her herself through the bond.
"I'm back!" Everyone turned around to see a grinning Ryuukaze.
"Who is he?" Vegeta asked angrily.
"Ryuukaze is the opposite of the Kai's." Goku said. "The Kai's are like the gods, and the Ryuukaze's the evil. Everything has a balance, and they balance out the good, the light."
"I-is Ryoko really gone?" Bulma asked.
"She can't be!" Trunks yelled.
"This isn't the time!" Goku yelled back, making Trunks and Bulma cringe.
"Now…" Ceres started. "Time for me to take your Purity Chalices." Trunks and Vegeta stood still, and after a few steps, Ceres stood transfixed in her tracks. She groaned and leaned forward a little, holding her head. She was breathing heavily, and it seemed like she was talking to herself.
"What's going on?" Trunks asked.
"It-it seems that Ryoko and Ceres are fighting for the body." Goku said, not as amazed as the others.
"No! Ryoko, you are not needed!" Ceres cried. "You were only born into this world so that I would be able to have a physical body! Now go so I can steal your friends' energy and defeat the Ryuukaze!"
"No, I won't!" Cried out Ryoko's voice from Ceres' mouth. "I won't let you do it! You are not a true Guardian and never will be!" Ceres screamed out, her voice again, and then started disappearing, and a new body took place. Ryoko was standing in Ceres' place, wearing different clothes. She was wearing long, flaired, thin white pants and a white tube top, and the same golden headpiece as her father.
"Glad to have you back, Ryoko." Goku said. Ryoko smiled and nodded.
"You know what I have to do," she said. Goku now nodded. "Take care of things, will you?"
"Yeah, of course." Goku said.
"What's going on?" Trunks asked. Ryoko sighed and walked over to him, her long, black hair behind her, oddly, it was down. Ryoko hardly ever wore her hair down.
"Trunks…" She said, and then looked to the side. "To get my body back and with my power, I only have enough energy left to defeat the North Ryuukaze," she paused. "I'm going to give the rest of my energy up, and I will die." Trunks' eyes widened.
"What?! No!" He cried. "You can't!"
"I have to." She said. "When I fought the first battle millions of years ago with Supreme Ryuukaze, everyone thought I was dead. But I wasn't, and now it's my time to give up my life to defeat one of them."
"You- You're the Guardian?" Trunks asked. Ryoko nodded. She took a step back, and Trunks took one forward, but only to find that he couldn't walk any longer, Ryoko had put up an energy shield.
"I don't want you to get in the way, you're not even a Guardian yet, you might get killed and I won't have that." She said, smiling. "See you in the next life."
"Ryoko!" Trunks cried, tears filling his eyes as Ryoko walked toward her doom.
17
"Ryoko!" Trunks desperately screamed, tears overflowing his eyes. Soon, Gohan and Goten were joining him in pounding on the shield, yelling their sisters' name.
"Here we are again, Ryoko." Ryuukaze said. Ryoko smirked.
"Yup, here we are." She replied.
"Just like all those years ago…" He laughed. "You thought you beat us, but you didn't! You never will, face it, Guardian."
"It's over, Ryuukaze."
"Let's just see." Both let out a large energy blast, Ryuukaze's black and Ryoko's pink. They met in the center of them, and didn't move any more. It seemed that Ryoko and Ryuukaze had the same amount of energy, even if Ryoko was weakened. And Ryoko was still weakening; Trunks could see it in her face. She was tired and loosing energy fast. She was going to die soon, and there was nothing that Trunks could do about it.
Trunks cried out in agony and sadness, and fell to his knees. Goku was standing silently behind him. Pictures of a spider-web like pattern spreading across Ryoko's skin as her skin fell off ran through Trunks' mind, also other dreams that Ryoko had. Being murdered was no dream, now, it was reality. Trunks saw Ryoko being engulfed in the black energy, and screamed one last time, louder than any other scream that he could remember.
He suddenly felt his hair standing up, and his chi rising by leaps and bounds. Something cold and hard formed on his forehead, and he knew that he was a Guardian and he and Goku could help Ryoko.
The two exchanged looks, and dove through the barrier. They stood next to Ryoko and threw their own energy attacks at Ryuukaze, Goku's blue and Trunks' gold.
"Dad! Trunks!" Ryoko cried, still breathing heavily.
"We're here for ya, Ryoko." Goku said, Trunks nodded in agreement. Ryoko smiled and nodded, then put her energy back into her chi blast. Ryuukaze cried out in anguish and defeat, and was engulfed in the Guardian's powers. Ryoko smiled at Trunks and her father, her eyes closed.
"Thank you…" She said. Her clothes changed back to her clothes that she was wearing earlier, and she fell into Trunks' arms.
"She's going to live." Goku said, smiling as he placed a hand onto Trunks' left shoulder. Trunks' hair fell down and turned lavender, and he let out a relieved sigh. "She didn't have to give all of her energy away. But I'm not certain if she will ever regain her powers again, but I may be wrong, though it would be very hard to find the Purity Chalice again.
A loud cry came from behind the three Guardians, and they turned around.
"I wanna go home!" Mai cried, tears streaming down her face.
17
Three, never-ending days had passed since the first battle of the holders of the future. Ryoko had been unconscious for the three days, and Trunks was by her side the whole time. He wouldn't leave her, and he knew that he never would. He had been sitting next to her bed where she laid, one leg stretched out and the other with his foot on the ground and his arms grasped around his knee. Mostly he store at the wall before him, but occasionally he'd glance at Ryoko, to see if she had finally awaken.
Trunks heard a noise in the room and instantly looked at Ryoko, but she was still. Another noise. Trunks jumped up.
"Who's there?!" He cried out, his eyes scanning the room. A small, short being appeared out of nowhere. He was wearing the traditional Kai wardrobe, and he had blue, spiked hair and dark blue skin.
"Hello, Lord Brief." The small man said, bowing. "I have brought something for Lady Ryoko." Trunks didn't feel the small man as a threat, so he let him approach Ryoko. He held his hands out above her, and a small, bright light appeared in his hands. He moved his hands apart and the light floated into Ryoko, and her eyes fluttered open. She sat up and rubbed her right eye. When she saw the man, she was fully awake.
"…Tetsu?" She asked. Tetsu nodded.
"Yes. It is nice to see you again, Ryoko." He said. Ryoko smiled.
"What did you give me?" She asked. He told her to stand up, and she did. She started glowing, and her clothes again transformed. When the light disappeared, she was wearing a white, sleeveless body suit with a large, red bow in the middle of it. A blue, very short skirt was over the body suit, and she was wearing red gloves and boots with white tips. Her hair was in a pony-tail, as always/
"It is a gift from Supreme Kai. It is not Guardian power, but its close." He smiled. "This is only the first stage. After this, you will have three more stages until you become a real Guardian." Ryoko smiled and thanked him. "It will be hard, but I know you all can do it." He was nodding. "Alright, I must return to Other World. Good luck, Lord Trunks, Lady Ryoko." The man disappeared as strangely as he had come.
"R-Ryoko?" Trunks asked. "Are- are you alright? Are you still- you?" Ryoko laughed and nodded.
"Yes, who else would I be?" She asked. Trunks shrugged.
"Well…you became 'a Guardian' and…you said that you were alive in like, the beginning of time." Ryoko nodded and looked up at her ceiling, a smile on her face.
"True. But I'm still me; I guess I just had a little more knowledge." Ryoko grinned. "But now all you don't have to worry about me because I'm not the weakest fighter out of all of you people!" Trunks laughed.
"Yeah, I guess." He said. "…what ever happened to Ceres?" Ryoko put a finger on her chin, thoughtfully.
"Um, I guess she's still around. She must have stolen a body from an Earthling and be living in it until she can regain her power."
"What is she, some kind of parasite?" Trunks asked. Ryoko laughed.
"You could say that, I guess." Ryoko transformed back to her regular clothes. "What ever happened to Mai?"
"She was crying by the end of the fight, and Gohan took her home." He replied. Ryoko giggled quietly.
"She must have liked that." She said. Trunks laughed, lightly. Ryoko opened her door and went into the kitchen, where Goku, Chichi, Goten, and Gohan were waiting anxiously. Chichi jumped up when she saw her daughter, her eyes sparkling with tears and happiness.
"Oh, Ryoko!" Chichi cried, hugging her. Ryoko was hesitant, but hugged her back. Trunks stood in her doorway, smiling to himself with his hands in his pockets. Chichi let her go and put her hands together, a single tear making its way down her cheek. Ryoko looked at her father, Goku, and expectantly. When Goku didn't move, Ryoko jumped at him, hugging him tightly. Goku looked surprised, like he didn't know what to do. Slowly, his arms made their way around her waste. Ryoko let him go and backed away. Through the saiyan bond, Trunks could tell that Ryoko didn't like the way her father hugged her. It was true, Goku was never very affectionate to the ones he loved. Ryoko looked at her feet, not sure what to say or do, feeling very awkward.
"Tetsu paid you a visit?" Goku asked. Ryoko nodded. Goku's serious look changed to his normal, cheerful one. "We should go out to eat!" He cried. Ryoko's eyes widened.
"How can you think of eating at a time like this?" Ryoko asked. Goku shrugged and scratched his head.
"…I'm hungry…" Ryoko sighed.
"You always are." She said. Chichi smiled.
"Why don't we spend a nice, relaxing day at the hot springs?" She suggested. Ryoko beamed, as did Gohan and Goten.
"Yeah!" The three Son children cried.
18
"This is gonna be fun!" Goten cried, already running towards the hot spring. He tripped on a wet spot, falling flat on his face, yelling and muffled, "I'm alright!"
"Goten, you doofus!" Chibi Trunks cried, helping his fallen friend up. The Brief's had been invited to go, also. Ryoko was stubbornly leaning against the tile wall, refusing to be enjoying herself while the Ryuukaze were around. Chichi, Gohan, and Bulma had given up on her. Trunks was now trying to persuade her to have a good time.
"Ryoko, come on." Trunks said. "You would have been having tons of fun if you were like the way you used to be!"
"Well I'm not, and I have the responsibility to ensure the safety of the universe. Matter of fact, you and my father also have that responsibilty." She gave Trunks a glare. "It seems that only your father and I have that motive."
"My father…" Trunks sighed. Since Vegeta had found out that he was a Guardian, he had been in the gravity room, never coming out. "Come on, Ryoko. Just relax for today." Ryoko shook her head. He nagged her a bit longer, and when she kept refusing, he smirked slightly. "Fine, then." She eyed him, worridly. He picked her up, Ryoko screaming in protest, as he threw her into the water. Everyone was laughing except for Ryoko, who stood up, looking quite…pissed. But the old Ryoko was showing through her Guardian responsibilities and she grinned.
"What the hell, Trunks?!" She cried. Trunks laughed, then gasped as his body was floating in the air, not by his own doing. Ryoko was laughing. "I may have lost my physical strength, but I still have my mental power."
"That's not fair!" Trunks cried as she threw him into the water.
"We have the same powers." Goku said. "Ryoko just has more mental power because she has been able to train her mind for thousands of centuries…"
"Have you developed any powers yet?" Ryoko questioned. Goku nodded.
"A little." He said.
That night, Ryoko was hesitant to put her hand on the phone.
"Who are you calling?" Goten asked, yawning. Chibi Trunks was sleeping over, and the boys were on their way to bed.
"My friend, Kotori…" She said. She hadn't talked to Kotori since the dance. She dialed his number, 555-9822, and hung up, deciding that seeing him would be better. "Mom! I'm going to Kotori's!" Ryoko called, knowing that her mother didn't really have a clue to who Kotori was.
Ryoko ran out the door and jumped into the air and flew towards his house. When she got there, she knocked on the door. "Kotori!" She called. Kotori came to the door, in his pajamas, rubbing his right eyes. When he saw Ryoko, he suddenly seemed wide awake and alert.
"Ryoko?! What are you doing here?" He cried.
"I…" she started, but she suddenly realized that she didn't know why she was there. She just felt like she should be there, like she belonged there, like she always had when she was younger. "I don't know." Kotori sighed.
"Well, I guess you can come in." He said, then went back into his house, Ryoko following, feeling awkward again. She sat down on the couch, and just stared at him, feeling many emotions other than awkwardness. Confusion, guilt, pity, and…love? "You know it's like, eleven, right?" Ryoko nodded.
"Yeah, sorry." She said. Do I still…? She asked herself. …no. I can't, I love Trunks.
'I should have known.' Trunks said in her mind, through the bond.
'Trunks, I-'
'No, forget it.' Ryoko had forgotten about the link between Trunks and Ryoko, and she suddenlt felt very vulnerable. If she had remembered it, she would have hidden the seemingly returning feelings for Kotori from Trunks.
"Kotori?" She asked. He looked at her, "do you…do you still love me?" Kotori's eyes widened.
"Well, I uh, I mean…" He sighed. "Yeah." He said, plainly. Ryoko stood up, tears of confusion and frustration filling her eyes. She ran out of the house, leaving Kotori bewildered. All she had ever wanted was for him to love her, and if not, to find someone like Trunks.
Ryoko didn't know where she was going, but her heart did, and she suddenly found herself standing before Trunks.
19
Trunks walked over to Ryoko, pulled her to him by placing his hand on her lower back, and gave her the most passionate kiss that she had ever been given. When he pulled away, she protested, but he put a hand over her mouth gently. "No, that was for goodbye." Ryoko stared at him in shock and confusion as he backed away from her, she had though that they would be together forever. If she was using her Guardian knowledge, she would have known that they were meant to be together.
He flew several feet up in the air and looked down at her, with tears in his eyes, though they remained unfalling. "Oh, and Ryoko? I love you. A lot. More than Kotori ever could." And with that, he flew off, leaving Ryoko to weep.
Ryoko had tears streaming down her face, but she was still walking. What Trunks had said hurt her to the core, and she felt like throwing up. Suddenly, she felt something brush against her face, and she touched it. It was a beautiful, blood red flower. Gazing at the flower, she missed the presence of someone behind her.
"The beauty of a flower comes and fades, but yours shines forever", said a soft, deep voice. As soon as Ryoko turned around, her vision went dark.
Tears flew off of Trunks' face as he continued flying to his unknown destination. He grunted, and powered up so he was flying as fast as he could. Abruptly, his Guardian instincts sensed a Ryuukaze close by, actually, right near another Guardian… Fear filled his senses, and the feeling of pure evil ran through his body.
"Ryoko!" He suddenly cried, turning into a Guardian and flying faster than he ever had, searching for Ryoko. The feeling of Ryuukaze's presence had left him, and he also couldn't feel Ryoko, so he knew that he wouldn't be able to find them. The only thing worse than knowing that Ryoko might be in any sort of life-threatening danger was knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. There was nothing else to be done but see if he could find some way to get help, so he started flying towards the Son house.
"This definetely isn't good." Goku said to Trunks when he arrived. "How keen are your mental powers?" He quickly powered up to his Guardian state.
"Not very sharp, I'm afraid." Trunks replied solemnly.
"Well, the South Ryuukaze has Ryoko and Vegeta." Goku said. Trunks looked at him, eyes wide. He sudenly regreted very deeply giving up Ryoko. "The South Ryuukaze is ery weak, Trunks, but his mental stamina is far superior to ours, and he is very good at tricking people, no, I should say he is very good at mind control, brain washing. Who knows what he could do to them…"
20
"Let us go, Ryuukaze!" Ryoko cried. She and Vegeta was bound by red ribbons, stretching her arms and legs out making her body form into an x-like appearance, and the ribbons seemed to be tied to nothing, Ryoko and Vegeta seemed to be hanging in blackness.
"When I get out of this, there will be nothing left of you!" Vegeta cried, he had finally reached his true form in the midst of his training, and they were both at their ultimate levels, feeling very vulnerable. Ryoko was relieved that Vegeta had found his Purity Chalice, if not, Ryuukaze might have been able to steal it like Ceres had tried, then it would be much more difficult to destroy him.
"My, my," started the South Ryuukaze, "such confident words for such a small man." Vegeta growled, and started twsiting around wildly in an attempt to break free, screaming madly. "Stop it, Vegeta, you'll hurt yourself." When Vegeta didn't stop, red electricity flowed around his body. He screamed one last shout of protest, and his body went limp.
"We're going to destroy you, Ryuukaze." Ryoko said, much more confident than Vegeta because she knew that it was the truth. "I'll make sure of it, and I'll kill you just as I did so long ago."
"Are you sure you really want to?" Ryuukaze asked. "Really, Ryoko, can't you see? Everyone you have ever loved has hurt you…"
"…That's not true!" Ryoko lied. When she was about twelve, she always thought about everyone that she had ever gotten close to had hurt her, and she remembered how painful it was. But she was happy now, and loved her life.
"Is it?" Ryuukaze asked. Ryoko didn't answer, or wouldn't answer. "You see? Think about it… The people who were taking care of you for seventeen years, your supposed 'parents', didn't care about you at all! And you're father, Goku?"
The sword sent waves of electricity into Ryoko causing her body to jolt violently as Ryoko's eyes flung open and she sat up. She was in too much torture and to scream, but her mouth hung open in a silent one…the wound that the sword had created began to bleed profusely…as Ryoko gaped in confusion and shock at who had done this to her…
Son Goku was standing in front of his dying daughter, a smill, evil grin spreading across his face.
"It was just a dream!" Ryoko cried, not sure if she believed herself.
"Ryoko, Ryoko, Ryoko…how are you going to make me believe you, if you can't convince yourself in the first place?" Ryoko didn't reply. "And Mai? Think of how many times she pretened to be your friend, lied to you, and hurt you! Think of when she told you that Kotori would never love you, and sided with her boyfriend against you! Some friend! And what about Kotori? You loved him for so long and he knew that he was putting you through so much pain, and in the end you find out that he actually did love you all along! He let you go through so much pain, then told you when you were finally happy just to cause you more pain! And now, he's the reason why Trunks left you!" Tears sprang into Ryoko's eyes. "If he cared about you, he would have known that you loved him and he wouldn't have left you! Still don't believe that no one loves you, now…?"
"…all this time…" Ryoko said to herself, quietly. The white and black in her eyes faded away, and all that was left was blue, shading from light to dark. In front of her she saw everyone that she knew and cared about: Trunks, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Vegeta, Chibi Trunks, Yamcha, Krillin, Roshi, Piccolo, Tien, Chaotzu, Kotori, Mai…All glaring at her, with looks on their faces saying 'you're so stupid, Ryoko, why didn't you realize that we don't give a shit about you…?'. All the pain welled up inside her and she screamed, like she had when she was turning into a super saiyan, but a red, not gold light surrounded her body.
"You're a disgrace, Vegeta." Ryuukaze said, working on his next victom. "You're supposed to be the Guardian of saiyans and you let another man, a commoner, take revenge on the one who destroyed your people! And on top of that, you tainted the blood line by mating with a human! A half saiyan is a disgrace to the royal family name!"
"My son is actually the one who avenged the saiyans!" Vegeta cried, trying to defend himself in any possible way, though he knew his protest made no difference. "He was the one to kill Frieza and his father in the end!"
"That means nothing to the saiyans! He's a nothing, a half saiyan. You're lucky that your father is not here, he would have beaten you if he knew!" Vegeta was encased in the same red energy as Ryoko.
Trunks and Goku stood in a field with the rest of the Z fighters along with Bulma, Chichi, Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Kotori, and Mai, anxiously awaiting the return of the other two Guardians.
"Look!" Krillin cried, pointing to the sky. Vegeta and Ryoko were hovering there, their hair wipping in the wind, cruel features set on their dark faces and in their lifeless, dark eyes.
"Hey, Ryoko!" Goten cried, happily raising a hand in the air and waving. Ryoko smirked and dissapeared. "Where'd she- ah!" Goten cried. His older sibling suddenly had him by the throat, and was squeazing quite hard. "Hey, 'leggo!"
"Goten!" Chibi Trunks cried, running towards his friend. Ryoko glared at him and stuck out her hand. Wind like energy sped towards Chibi Trunks, and he was blown back. He hit his head on a near-by rock, and fell unconcious as his head bled onto the ground. Ryoko started sending an energy blast through Goten's neck, but Goku slammed his body into her in an attempt to make her miss Goten, but instead, it made the chi blast go up and through Goten's head. His body went limp in her hand, and Ryoko dropped him.
"Trunks!" Bulma cried, running towards her son.
"Goten!" Chichi shrieked, kneeling next to her childs corpse. "Ryoko, why?!" Ryoko only laughed.
"No one loves me, so why should I fight for the good?" She asked. "Why should I love any of you?"
"Ryuukaze showed us the truth." Vegeta said, standing next to Ryoko. "Here's one thing I've been wanting to do for so long…" He dissapeared and reappeared behind Trunks, kicking him and sending a large, powerful chi blast at him. Trunks landed quite far away, but close enough for everyone to see him. Vegeta appeard in front of him, and placed his foot on his chest. "You disgraced me! A half saiyan, tainting the royal family blood line!" He started to put pressure on Trunks' chest.
"Father…" Trunks choked. He was already in his Guardian form, and Vegeta was just a little too strong for Trunks to overcome. "Mother, Trunks, and I love you…don't you see that?"
"Love," said Vegeta. "What does love got to do with this, this is about honor, respect and my pride. You don't get it love makes a warrior weak, and it has made you weak. Now that I have shed the love I had for you and your mother, I have realized my true potential. I will be the greatest fighter in the universe." Vegeta stepped down harder on Trunks' chest and pressed down causing Trunks to cough up blood and for him to scream in agony as a loud crack was heard.
"Da…addy," said Trunks, a word that he had never said before in his life.
Vegeta stopped right in that stance. He was frozen in thought of what to do. Suddenly the energy in his hand disappeared and he stood there, his eyes focused on his son; Trunks' blood was running down his face, his tears were welling, as he was frightened to death. "Hmph." Vegeta lifted into the air. "You're lucky, kid, I'm going to spare you. For now." Vegeta flew off as it started to rain.
"Well, I'll see you all, later." Ryoko said, following Vegeta.
The rain was falling on Trunks' face as it washed the blood off of it and down to the ground. His golden hair turned back to the lavender purple as it became soaked in the puddle of blood that had formed around his head. Trunks screamed and coughed, his last bit of energy was leaving him. A warm glow surrounded him, and Trunks felt healed. He sat up, and saw Goku.
"You okay?" Goku asked, changing back to his normal, saiyan state. Trunks rubbed his head.
"…yeah. I'm fine." He sighed. "What are we going to do?" Goku looked at the ground.
"Well…it's our duties as Guardians to protect this world, so if we must, we'll fight." Trunks was shocked. How could he fight two of the people that he cared most about?
21
"I never really liked this place, these humans are so weak and they think that they are the best thing in the universe," Vegeta said to Ryoko on their way to Ryuukaze. "The only reason they still exist is because of us Saiyans and our bizarre habit of saving them from obliteration."
"Yeah, you're right. If it weren't for us, they'd be dead." She agreed. "Damn fools."
a/n- thats it...for now...updates will probably be frequent...hehe, I love this story, I hope you do! Please review!!
Ryoko was floating in the air above a pale, unmoving Krilan. She had a light in her hands, and it disappeared. Ryoko started laughing.
"Krilan!" Goku cried.
"Daddy!" Marron shrieked, and ran towards her father, 18 close behind.
"Krilan!" 18 cried, then angrily looked up at Ryoko when Krilan didn't respond. Ryoko was only a super saiyan, and that meant that 18 was far more powerful than her. She jumped into the air, getting ready to attack Ryoko.
Ryoko only grinned and before 18 reached her, she started screaming, her body seaming to have red electricity flowing around it. She landed on the ground next to her husband. Ryoko eyed Trunks and Vegeta and grinned again.
"The time has come." She said. Purple energy surrounded her, then spread, making Capsule Corp. deteriorate until there was nothing left but rubble. Gasps that turned into yelling came from Bulma, and whimpering came from Mai, who was hiding behind Gohan.
"Ryoko! What did you do to my house?!" Bulma screamed. Ryoko only laughed, then transformed into a taller, purple haired girl with purple eyes.
"I am no longer Ryoko." She said. "My name is Ceres."
"Ceres?" Everyone murmured, except Goku.
"You do not belong here, Ceres." Goku said. Ceres only laughed.
"Kakarott!" Vegeta cried, stepping forward. "I demand to know what is going on!"
"What's the big deal, Goku?" Ceres asked. Goku sighed.
"At the beginning of time," he started, "there was a immense battle that took place. It was pure evil against the good, and the Kai's were weak. It was desperate times, so the Supreme Kai created someone that is known as The Guardian, someone with stronger power than that of the Ryuukazes'. They fought, and in the end, the Guardian died, giving all of her power up to imprison the six Ryuukaze."
"And so I was created." Ceres said. "In case that Ryuukaze should ever become loose. So here I am."
"Supreme Kai knew that Ryuukaze would be coming back." Goku continued. "So he had Chichi and I have Ryoko, along with Gohan. Ryoko was born for the soul purpose to reserve a body for Ceres, until the time came that Ceres would be needed." Goku glared at Ceres. "But you are not needed, you are not the true guardian!"
"And you are?" Ceres asked in a mocking tone.
"I'm about as strong as you are." Goku said. "You're at the same level as I."
"What does that mean?" Piccolo asked.
"A Guardian could only come out of Other World if a Ryuukaze was present, and so other terrible things occurred on Earth in that time." Goku stated.
"Why couldn't The Guardian come out?" Tien asked.
"Because as long as Ryuukaze wasn't terrorizing the Earth, there was always hope." Goku said. "That's why I am able to transform into a Guardian. I am known as the Guardian of the Earth." He looked at Trunks and Vegeta. "In Trunks' world, I was long dead. So there was no Earth Guardian, and so Trunks became it." Trunks' eyes widened. "And Vegeta is the Guardian of saiyans, even though there are not many left. We may be Guardians, but our power is no match to the real one." Goku looked back at Ceres. "But like I said, you are not the true Guardian!" She laughed.
"Then who, might I ask, might it be?" She asked, then shook her head. "No, never mind. That's a silly question. Why am I not the Guardian, pray tell?"
"Because you cannot produce the purity chalice." Goku answered. Ceres laughed again.
"You do not need a Purity Chalice to have ultimate strength."
"Purity Chalice?" Trunks asked. No one was noticing that someone's chi was fading quickly.
"A Purity Chalice means you have one of the purest hearts in existence." Goku said. "As we Guardians have. When I first transformed for Vegeta, I told Gohan to hold back Ryoko instead of Trunks. Since you two have not found your Purity Chalice, you are vulnerable and someone could take it from you and have access to your power." Ceres started laughing.
"Ah, wonderful." She said. "This body is all mine now. Too bad you couldn't say goodbye to your precious Ryoko." Everyone's eyes widened and their jaw dropped.
"Ryoko!" Trunks cried, not believing that she was actually gone. But now he realized, he could not feel her chi or her herself through the bond.
"I'm back!" Everyone turned around to see a grinning Ryuukaze.
"Who is he?" Vegeta asked angrily.
"Ryuukaze is the opposite of the Kai's." Goku said. "The Kai's are like the gods, and the Ryuukaze's the evil. Everything has a balance, and they balance out the good, the light."
"I-is Ryoko really gone?" Bulma asked.
"She can't be!" Trunks yelled.
"This isn't the time!" Goku yelled back, making Trunks and Bulma cringe.
"Now…" Ceres started. "Time for me to take your Purity Chalices." Trunks and Vegeta stood still, and after a few steps, Ceres stood transfixed in her tracks. She groaned and leaned forward a little, holding her head. She was breathing heavily, and it seemed like she was talking to herself.
"What's going on?" Trunks asked.
"It-it seems that Ryoko and Ceres are fighting for the body." Goku said, not as amazed as the others.
"No! Ryoko, you are not needed!" Ceres cried. "You were only born into this world so that I would be able to have a physical body! Now go so I can steal your friends' energy and defeat the Ryuukaze!"
"No, I won't!" Cried out Ryoko's voice from Ceres' mouth. "I won't let you do it! You are not a true Guardian and never will be!" Ceres screamed out, her voice again, and then started disappearing, and a new body took place. Ryoko was standing in Ceres' place, wearing different clothes. She was wearing long, flaired, thin white pants and a white tube top, and the same golden headpiece as her father.
"Glad to have you back, Ryoko." Goku said. Ryoko smiled and nodded.
"You know what I have to do," she said. Goku now nodded. "Take care of things, will you?"
"Yeah, of course." Goku said.
"What's going on?" Trunks asked. Ryoko sighed and walked over to him, her long, black hair behind her, oddly, it was down. Ryoko hardly ever wore her hair down.
"Trunks…" She said, and then looked to the side. "To get my body back and with my power, I only have enough energy left to defeat the North Ryuukaze," she paused. "I'm going to give the rest of my energy up, and I will die." Trunks' eyes widened.
"What?! No!" He cried. "You can't!"
"I have to." She said. "When I fought the first battle millions of years ago with Supreme Ryuukaze, everyone thought I was dead. But I wasn't, and now it's my time to give up my life to defeat one of them."
"You- You're the Guardian?" Trunks asked. Ryoko nodded. She took a step back, and Trunks took one forward, but only to find that he couldn't walk any longer, Ryoko had put up an energy shield.
"I don't want you to get in the way, you're not even a Guardian yet, you might get killed and I won't have that." She said, smiling. "See you in the next life."
"Ryoko!" Trunks cried, tears filling his eyes as Ryoko walked toward her doom.
17
"Ryoko!" Trunks desperately screamed, tears overflowing his eyes. Soon, Gohan and Goten were joining him in pounding on the shield, yelling their sisters' name.
"Here we are again, Ryoko." Ryuukaze said. Ryoko smirked.
"Yup, here we are." She replied.
"Just like all those years ago…" He laughed. "You thought you beat us, but you didn't! You never will, face it, Guardian."
"It's over, Ryuukaze."
"Let's just see." Both let out a large energy blast, Ryuukaze's black and Ryoko's pink. They met in the center of them, and didn't move any more. It seemed that Ryoko and Ryuukaze had the same amount of energy, even if Ryoko was weakened. And Ryoko was still weakening; Trunks could see it in her face. She was tired and loosing energy fast. She was going to die soon, and there was nothing that Trunks could do about it.
Trunks cried out in agony and sadness, and fell to his knees. Goku was standing silently behind him. Pictures of a spider-web like pattern spreading across Ryoko's skin as her skin fell off ran through Trunks' mind, also other dreams that Ryoko had. Being murdered was no dream, now, it was reality. Trunks saw Ryoko being engulfed in the black energy, and screamed one last time, louder than any other scream that he could remember.
He suddenly felt his hair standing up, and his chi rising by leaps and bounds. Something cold and hard formed on his forehead, and he knew that he was a Guardian and he and Goku could help Ryoko.
The two exchanged looks, and dove through the barrier. They stood next to Ryoko and threw their own energy attacks at Ryuukaze, Goku's blue and Trunks' gold.
"Dad! Trunks!" Ryoko cried, still breathing heavily.
"We're here for ya, Ryoko." Goku said, Trunks nodded in agreement. Ryoko smiled and nodded, then put her energy back into her chi blast. Ryuukaze cried out in anguish and defeat, and was engulfed in the Guardian's powers. Ryoko smiled at Trunks and her father, her eyes closed.
"Thank you…" She said. Her clothes changed back to her clothes that she was wearing earlier, and she fell into Trunks' arms.
"She's going to live." Goku said, smiling as he placed a hand onto Trunks' left shoulder. Trunks' hair fell down and turned lavender, and he let out a relieved sigh. "She didn't have to give all of her energy away. But I'm not certain if she will ever regain her powers again, but I may be wrong, though it would be very hard to find the Purity Chalice again.
A loud cry came from behind the three Guardians, and they turned around.
"I wanna go home!" Mai cried, tears streaming down her face.
17
Three, never-ending days had passed since the first battle of the holders of the future. Ryoko had been unconscious for the three days, and Trunks was by her side the whole time. He wouldn't leave her, and he knew that he never would. He had been sitting next to her bed where she laid, one leg stretched out and the other with his foot on the ground and his arms grasped around his knee. Mostly he store at the wall before him, but occasionally he'd glance at Ryoko, to see if she had finally awaken.
Trunks heard a noise in the room and instantly looked at Ryoko, but she was still. Another noise. Trunks jumped up.
"Who's there?!" He cried out, his eyes scanning the room. A small, short being appeared out of nowhere. He was wearing the traditional Kai wardrobe, and he had blue, spiked hair and dark blue skin.
"Hello, Lord Brief." The small man said, bowing. "I have brought something for Lady Ryoko." Trunks didn't feel the small man as a threat, so he let him approach Ryoko. He held his hands out above her, and a small, bright light appeared in his hands. He moved his hands apart and the light floated into Ryoko, and her eyes fluttered open. She sat up and rubbed her right eye. When she saw the man, she was fully awake.
"…Tetsu?" She asked. Tetsu nodded.
"Yes. It is nice to see you again, Ryoko." He said. Ryoko smiled.
"What did you give me?" She asked. He told her to stand up, and she did. She started glowing, and her clothes again transformed. When the light disappeared, she was wearing a white, sleeveless body suit with a large, red bow in the middle of it. A blue, very short skirt was over the body suit, and she was wearing red gloves and boots with white tips. Her hair was in a pony-tail, as always/
"It is a gift from Supreme Kai. It is not Guardian power, but its close." He smiled. "This is only the first stage. After this, you will have three more stages until you become a real Guardian." Ryoko smiled and thanked him. "It will be hard, but I know you all can do it." He was nodding. "Alright, I must return to Other World. Good luck, Lord Trunks, Lady Ryoko." The man disappeared as strangely as he had come.
"R-Ryoko?" Trunks asked. "Are- are you alright? Are you still- you?" Ryoko laughed and nodded.
"Yes, who else would I be?" She asked. Trunks shrugged.
"Well…you became 'a Guardian' and…you said that you were alive in like, the beginning of time." Ryoko nodded and looked up at her ceiling, a smile on her face.
"True. But I'm still me; I guess I just had a little more knowledge." Ryoko grinned. "But now all you don't have to worry about me because I'm not the weakest fighter out of all of you people!" Trunks laughed.
"Yeah, I guess." He said. "…what ever happened to Ceres?" Ryoko put a finger on her chin, thoughtfully.
"Um, I guess she's still around. She must have stolen a body from an Earthling and be living in it until she can regain her power."
"What is she, some kind of parasite?" Trunks asked. Ryoko laughed.
"You could say that, I guess." Ryoko transformed back to her regular clothes. "What ever happened to Mai?"
"She was crying by the end of the fight, and Gohan took her home." He replied. Ryoko giggled quietly.
"She must have liked that." She said. Trunks laughed, lightly. Ryoko opened her door and went into the kitchen, where Goku, Chichi, Goten, and Gohan were waiting anxiously. Chichi jumped up when she saw her daughter, her eyes sparkling with tears and happiness.
"Oh, Ryoko!" Chichi cried, hugging her. Ryoko was hesitant, but hugged her back. Trunks stood in her doorway, smiling to himself with his hands in his pockets. Chichi let her go and put her hands together, a single tear making its way down her cheek. Ryoko looked at her father, Goku, and expectantly. When Goku didn't move, Ryoko jumped at him, hugging him tightly. Goku looked surprised, like he didn't know what to do. Slowly, his arms made their way around her waste. Ryoko let him go and backed away. Through the saiyan bond, Trunks could tell that Ryoko didn't like the way her father hugged her. It was true, Goku was never very affectionate to the ones he loved. Ryoko looked at her feet, not sure what to say or do, feeling very awkward.
"Tetsu paid you a visit?" Goku asked. Ryoko nodded. Goku's serious look changed to his normal, cheerful one. "We should go out to eat!" He cried. Ryoko's eyes widened.
"How can you think of eating at a time like this?" Ryoko asked. Goku shrugged and scratched his head.
"…I'm hungry…" Ryoko sighed.
"You always are." She said. Chichi smiled.
"Why don't we spend a nice, relaxing day at the hot springs?" She suggested. Ryoko beamed, as did Gohan and Goten.
"Yeah!" The three Son children cried.
18
"This is gonna be fun!" Goten cried, already running towards the hot spring. He tripped on a wet spot, falling flat on his face, yelling and muffled, "I'm alright!"
"Goten, you doofus!" Chibi Trunks cried, helping his fallen friend up. The Brief's had been invited to go, also. Ryoko was stubbornly leaning against the tile wall, refusing to be enjoying herself while the Ryuukaze were around. Chichi, Gohan, and Bulma had given up on her. Trunks was now trying to persuade her to have a good time.
"Ryoko, come on." Trunks said. "You would have been having tons of fun if you were like the way you used to be!"
"Well I'm not, and I have the responsibility to ensure the safety of the universe. Matter of fact, you and my father also have that responsibilty." She gave Trunks a glare. "It seems that only your father and I have that motive."
"My father…" Trunks sighed. Since Vegeta had found out that he was a Guardian, he had been in the gravity room, never coming out. "Come on, Ryoko. Just relax for today." Ryoko shook her head. He nagged her a bit longer, and when she kept refusing, he smirked slightly. "Fine, then." She eyed him, worridly. He picked her up, Ryoko screaming in protest, as he threw her into the water. Everyone was laughing except for Ryoko, who stood up, looking quite…pissed. But the old Ryoko was showing through her Guardian responsibilities and she grinned.
"What the hell, Trunks?!" She cried. Trunks laughed, then gasped as his body was floating in the air, not by his own doing. Ryoko was laughing. "I may have lost my physical strength, but I still have my mental power."
"That's not fair!" Trunks cried as she threw him into the water.
"We have the same powers." Goku said. "Ryoko just has more mental power because she has been able to train her mind for thousands of centuries…"
"Have you developed any powers yet?" Ryoko questioned. Goku nodded.
"A little." He said.
That night, Ryoko was hesitant to put her hand on the phone.
"Who are you calling?" Goten asked, yawning. Chibi Trunks was sleeping over, and the boys were on their way to bed.
"My friend, Kotori…" She said. She hadn't talked to Kotori since the dance. She dialed his number, 555-9822, and hung up, deciding that seeing him would be better. "Mom! I'm going to Kotori's!" Ryoko called, knowing that her mother didn't really have a clue to who Kotori was.
Ryoko ran out the door and jumped into the air and flew towards his house. When she got there, she knocked on the door. "Kotori!" She called. Kotori came to the door, in his pajamas, rubbing his right eyes. When he saw Ryoko, he suddenly seemed wide awake and alert.
"Ryoko?! What are you doing here?" He cried.
"I…" she started, but she suddenly realized that she didn't know why she was there. She just felt like she should be there, like she belonged there, like she always had when she was younger. "I don't know." Kotori sighed.
"Well, I guess you can come in." He said, then went back into his house, Ryoko following, feeling awkward again. She sat down on the couch, and just stared at him, feeling many emotions other than awkwardness. Confusion, guilt, pity, and…love? "You know it's like, eleven, right?" Ryoko nodded.
"Yeah, sorry." She said. Do I still…? She asked herself. …no. I can't, I love Trunks.
'I should have known.' Trunks said in her mind, through the bond.
'Trunks, I-'
'No, forget it.' Ryoko had forgotten about the link between Trunks and Ryoko, and she suddenlt felt very vulnerable. If she had remembered it, she would have hidden the seemingly returning feelings for Kotori from Trunks.
"Kotori?" She asked. He looked at her, "do you…do you still love me?" Kotori's eyes widened.
"Well, I uh, I mean…" He sighed. "Yeah." He said, plainly. Ryoko stood up, tears of confusion and frustration filling her eyes. She ran out of the house, leaving Kotori bewildered. All she had ever wanted was for him to love her, and if not, to find someone like Trunks.
Ryoko didn't know where she was going, but her heart did, and she suddenly found herself standing before Trunks.
19
Trunks walked over to Ryoko, pulled her to him by placing his hand on her lower back, and gave her the most passionate kiss that she had ever been given. When he pulled away, she protested, but he put a hand over her mouth gently. "No, that was for goodbye." Ryoko stared at him in shock and confusion as he backed away from her, she had though that they would be together forever. If she was using her Guardian knowledge, she would have known that they were meant to be together.
He flew several feet up in the air and looked down at her, with tears in his eyes, though they remained unfalling. "Oh, and Ryoko? I love you. A lot. More than Kotori ever could." And with that, he flew off, leaving Ryoko to weep.
Ryoko had tears streaming down her face, but she was still walking. What Trunks had said hurt her to the core, and she felt like throwing up. Suddenly, she felt something brush against her face, and she touched it. It was a beautiful, blood red flower. Gazing at the flower, she missed the presence of someone behind her.
"The beauty of a flower comes and fades, but yours shines forever", said a soft, deep voice. As soon as Ryoko turned around, her vision went dark.
Tears flew off of Trunks' face as he continued flying to his unknown destination. He grunted, and powered up so he was flying as fast as he could. Abruptly, his Guardian instincts sensed a Ryuukaze close by, actually, right near another Guardian… Fear filled his senses, and the feeling of pure evil ran through his body.
"Ryoko!" He suddenly cried, turning into a Guardian and flying faster than he ever had, searching for Ryoko. The feeling of Ryuukaze's presence had left him, and he also couldn't feel Ryoko, so he knew that he wouldn't be able to find them. The only thing worse than knowing that Ryoko might be in any sort of life-threatening danger was knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. There was nothing else to be done but see if he could find some way to get help, so he started flying towards the Son house.
"This definetely isn't good." Goku said to Trunks when he arrived. "How keen are your mental powers?" He quickly powered up to his Guardian state.
"Not very sharp, I'm afraid." Trunks replied solemnly.
"Well, the South Ryuukaze has Ryoko and Vegeta." Goku said. Trunks looked at him, eyes wide. He sudenly regreted very deeply giving up Ryoko. "The South Ryuukaze is ery weak, Trunks, but his mental stamina is far superior to ours, and he is very good at tricking people, no, I should say he is very good at mind control, brain washing. Who knows what he could do to them…"
20
"Let us go, Ryuukaze!" Ryoko cried. She and Vegeta was bound by red ribbons, stretching her arms and legs out making her body form into an x-like appearance, and the ribbons seemed to be tied to nothing, Ryoko and Vegeta seemed to be hanging in blackness.
"When I get out of this, there will be nothing left of you!" Vegeta cried, he had finally reached his true form in the midst of his training, and they were both at their ultimate levels, feeling very vulnerable. Ryoko was relieved that Vegeta had found his Purity Chalice, if not, Ryuukaze might have been able to steal it like Ceres had tried, then it would be much more difficult to destroy him.
"My, my," started the South Ryuukaze, "such confident words for such a small man." Vegeta growled, and started twsiting around wildly in an attempt to break free, screaming madly. "Stop it, Vegeta, you'll hurt yourself." When Vegeta didn't stop, red electricity flowed around his body. He screamed one last shout of protest, and his body went limp.
"We're going to destroy you, Ryuukaze." Ryoko said, much more confident than Vegeta because she knew that it was the truth. "I'll make sure of it, and I'll kill you just as I did so long ago."
"Are you sure you really want to?" Ryuukaze asked. "Really, Ryoko, can't you see? Everyone you have ever loved has hurt you…"
"…That's not true!" Ryoko lied. When she was about twelve, she always thought about everyone that she had ever gotten close to had hurt her, and she remembered how painful it was. But she was happy now, and loved her life.
"Is it?" Ryuukaze asked. Ryoko didn't answer, or wouldn't answer. "You see? Think about it… The people who were taking care of you for seventeen years, your supposed 'parents', didn't care about you at all! And you're father, Goku?"
The sword sent waves of electricity into Ryoko causing her body to jolt violently as Ryoko's eyes flung open and she sat up. She was in too much torture and to scream, but her mouth hung open in a silent one…the wound that the sword had created began to bleed profusely…as Ryoko gaped in confusion and shock at who had done this to her…
Son Goku was standing in front of his dying daughter, a smill, evil grin spreading across his face.
"It was just a dream!" Ryoko cried, not sure if she believed herself.
"Ryoko, Ryoko, Ryoko…how are you going to make me believe you, if you can't convince yourself in the first place?" Ryoko didn't reply. "And Mai? Think of how many times she pretened to be your friend, lied to you, and hurt you! Think of when she told you that Kotori would never love you, and sided with her boyfriend against you! Some friend! And what about Kotori? You loved him for so long and he knew that he was putting you through so much pain, and in the end you find out that he actually did love you all along! He let you go through so much pain, then told you when you were finally happy just to cause you more pain! And now, he's the reason why Trunks left you!" Tears sprang into Ryoko's eyes. "If he cared about you, he would have known that you loved him and he wouldn't have left you! Still don't believe that no one loves you, now…?"
"…all this time…" Ryoko said to herself, quietly. The white and black in her eyes faded away, and all that was left was blue, shading from light to dark. In front of her she saw everyone that she knew and cared about: Trunks, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Vegeta, Chibi Trunks, Yamcha, Krillin, Roshi, Piccolo, Tien, Chaotzu, Kotori, Mai…All glaring at her, with looks on their faces saying 'you're so stupid, Ryoko, why didn't you realize that we don't give a shit about you…?'. All the pain welled up inside her and she screamed, like she had when she was turning into a super saiyan, but a red, not gold light surrounded her body.
"You're a disgrace, Vegeta." Ryuukaze said, working on his next victom. "You're supposed to be the Guardian of saiyans and you let another man, a commoner, take revenge on the one who destroyed your people! And on top of that, you tainted the blood line by mating with a human! A half saiyan is a disgrace to the royal family name!"
"My son is actually the one who avenged the saiyans!" Vegeta cried, trying to defend himself in any possible way, though he knew his protest made no difference. "He was the one to kill Frieza and his father in the end!"
"That means nothing to the saiyans! He's a nothing, a half saiyan. You're lucky that your father is not here, he would have beaten you if he knew!" Vegeta was encased in the same red energy as Ryoko.
Trunks and Goku stood in a field with the rest of the Z fighters along with Bulma, Chichi, Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Kotori, and Mai, anxiously awaiting the return of the other two Guardians.
"Look!" Krillin cried, pointing to the sky. Vegeta and Ryoko were hovering there, their hair wipping in the wind, cruel features set on their dark faces and in their lifeless, dark eyes.
"Hey, Ryoko!" Goten cried, happily raising a hand in the air and waving. Ryoko smirked and dissapeared. "Where'd she- ah!" Goten cried. His older sibling suddenly had him by the throat, and was squeazing quite hard. "Hey, 'leggo!"
"Goten!" Chibi Trunks cried, running towards his friend. Ryoko glared at him and stuck out her hand. Wind like energy sped towards Chibi Trunks, and he was blown back. He hit his head on a near-by rock, and fell unconcious as his head bled onto the ground. Ryoko started sending an energy blast through Goten's neck, but Goku slammed his body into her in an attempt to make her miss Goten, but instead, it made the chi blast go up and through Goten's head. His body went limp in her hand, and Ryoko dropped him.
"Trunks!" Bulma cried, running towards her son.
"Goten!" Chichi shrieked, kneeling next to her childs corpse. "Ryoko, why?!" Ryoko only laughed.
"No one loves me, so why should I fight for the good?" She asked. "Why should I love any of you?"
"Ryuukaze showed us the truth." Vegeta said, standing next to Ryoko. "Here's one thing I've been wanting to do for so long…" He dissapeared and reappeared behind Trunks, kicking him and sending a large, powerful chi blast at him. Trunks landed quite far away, but close enough for everyone to see him. Vegeta appeard in front of him, and placed his foot on his chest. "You disgraced me! A half saiyan, tainting the royal family blood line!" He started to put pressure on Trunks' chest.
"Father…" Trunks choked. He was already in his Guardian form, and Vegeta was just a little too strong for Trunks to overcome. "Mother, Trunks, and I love you…don't you see that?"
"Love," said Vegeta. "What does love got to do with this, this is about honor, respect and my pride. You don't get it love makes a warrior weak, and it has made you weak. Now that I have shed the love I had for you and your mother, I have realized my true potential. I will be the greatest fighter in the universe." Vegeta stepped down harder on Trunks' chest and pressed down causing Trunks to cough up blood and for him to scream in agony as a loud crack was heard.
"Da…addy," said Trunks, a word that he had never said before in his life.
Vegeta stopped right in that stance. He was frozen in thought of what to do. Suddenly the energy in his hand disappeared and he stood there, his eyes focused on his son; Trunks' blood was running down his face, his tears were welling, as he was frightened to death. "Hmph." Vegeta lifted into the air. "You're lucky, kid, I'm going to spare you. For now." Vegeta flew off as it started to rain.
"Well, I'll see you all, later." Ryoko said, following Vegeta.
The rain was falling on Trunks' face as it washed the blood off of it and down to the ground. His golden hair turned back to the lavender purple as it became soaked in the puddle of blood that had formed around his head. Trunks screamed and coughed, his last bit of energy was leaving him. A warm glow surrounded him, and Trunks felt healed. He sat up, and saw Goku.
"You okay?" Goku asked, changing back to his normal, saiyan state. Trunks rubbed his head.
"…yeah. I'm fine." He sighed. "What are we going to do?" Goku looked at the ground.
"Well…it's our duties as Guardians to protect this world, so if we must, we'll fight." Trunks was shocked. How could he fight two of the people that he cared most about?
21
"I never really liked this place, these humans are so weak and they think that they are the best thing in the universe," Vegeta said to Ryoko on their way to Ryuukaze. "The only reason they still exist is because of us Saiyans and our bizarre habit of saving them from obliteration."
"Yeah, you're right. If it weren't for us, they'd be dead." She agreed. "Damn fools."
a/n- thats it...for now...updates will probably be frequent...hehe, I love this story, I hope you do! Please review!!