Disclaimer: I don't own any of the DBZ characters. No need to sue me also, unless being paid with some chocolates would be enough for you ;-)

DEATH IS SOFTER THAN LIFE

Chapter 4 – No Part in This


Trunks woke up that morning with the dull feeling he hadn't slept at all. His sister laid curled up on his side, an innocent look on her face. She looked so much like an angel during these moments. Trunks leant to her and unfolded her hand to release the object she had been holding through the night. He looked at the picture again, his mind drifting from this place to the "good ol' time".

He was interrupted from his mind walk by the voice of his father – and he knew then what had woken him so. "Trunks! Goten is there! If you don't want both of you to be late at school, hurry up!!"

Trunks closed his eyes and sighed through his teeth. He didn't want to meet new people; he didn't want to loose his time trying to act as if life was continuing. He wanted to spend all his time trying to figure out a way to bring his mother back, and to pay for his weakness to save her before.

He looked around him and observed his room. No, he corrected mentally, this isn't my room and my house! This will never be!

He wanted to be far from this place, this home-mimic, to refresh his mind and starts gathering any ideas that would help his purpose. He had the feeling that this house was so oppressively leaning on him that he would soon twist on the floor and gasp for air like a fish out of water.

That feeling seemed odd for a moment, but that's what gave him the impulse to jump out of his bed and to catch some clothes.

He was walking with Goten towards the latter's school. They had choose not to fly in order not to bring too much attention on them. They had landed not far from the school-area and now were finishing the rest of the travel on feet.

Trunks was somehow angry on his friend. It was as if Goku's son knew he had an escape in mind, and had managed to push him back in the correct direction each time Trunks was moving slightly away from their flying path. Of course, he didn't say straight to Trunks that he "shouldn't try to escape". He was using other terms like "you don't know well where the high-school is yet, don't try any shortcut, you'd arrive by the end of the afternoon", or "don't linger behind. You don't have to be shy for your first day at school, no one will bite you", or other sweet similar sentences. Trunks was somehow grateful to Goten for this… Even if the fact he couldn't find a way to avoid school was getting on his nerves. He liked so much the sensation of the wind on his face and in his air, it seemed to smooth his pain…

In "good ol' time", he was always flying whenever he had too much energy to spend or a boiling mind to calm. The difference was that back then he never had to wonder if some chaotic flights or over speedy loopings wouldn't make him drop his sunglasses… He hated to feel diminish like that!

While walking alongside his friend, Trunks thought that Goten had so much talked about all the mischief there that he would feel in familiar area…

But when he arrived near the entrance of the high-school, he stopped right on the spot. He didn't want to change his life, and had the feelings that as son as he would pass the gate, he would sign for an escape from his responsibilities… that he would leave his mother behind…

And also, what bothered him the most was the gaze that almost all the students turned towards him, standing in the entrance like the ghost he was. And there were these whisperings and this recognition in their eyes, as if they knew all about him.

How dared them?

He hated to be the centre of this type of sick attention. Trunks felt anger growing inside of him and realized that if his self-control was to slip, no one would return home today.

Goten felt his uncomfort and gently took his arm to help him pass the gate. Reluctant at first, Trunks realized he would make a fool of himself if he lingered there any longer.

'I am not running away…', he thought, 'I will never be part of them…'.

And as he was doing his first step inside the high-school, his only thought was that this fake life would be over very soon and that he'd be back to his main goal.

[To be continued ;-) ]

****************************

Yep, the story wasn't dead as some of you asked me in mails… I just needed the time and inspiration to get back to it ^^;
(and I need to find the exact plan of the story on some CD-backup ^^; )

I wrote it straight in English without a French version first, so I don't know if what I wrote is… understandable… ^^
Sorry also for this short chapter… If I wanted something to be post before the end of the year, I had to find a way not to linger on it ;p
(next one will be better ;) ............. (dramatic pause) ............. I hope oO;;;; )

Anyway, hope that you didn't lost memories of the story (with the time it took to update ^^; ), in next chapter, there will be more… actions ;-P