Don't own it!
Hey everyone! Thanks for the wonderful reviews!
Response to reviewers:
Star Reku-jedi-knight- No; there won't be any Gotenks. Sorry. Trunks called Goku Kakarott intentionally. You'll see why later. ^_~
Saiyan Goddess- Nope, Trunks is alive. He was supposed to leave the battlefield, but he obviously didn't.
Goku's Daughter- Sorry that YOUR Goten didn't beat Cell. You'll just have to see who beats him…
Snowmiss2222- No, this is a spin off from my fic "When Angels Deserve To Die". Remember that little one shot? Thought you would be interested in this fic, too.
Jesus…this is turning out to be longer than I intended. Oh well! Hope you all like this chapter, it's kind of sad, and you might be confused about some things, but I did it that way purposely.
Enjoy!
~*~
Chapter 7
I can't find the answer to save humanity…
Goten lay in a dark void. He felt as if he were falling deeper and deeper into the darkness, deeper into this never-ending hole. The sound of wind whistled in his ear, letting the fear rise within him.
Despite his wishes to stop, he fell deeper, and soon he felt nothing. He could not feel, and he could not think. His mind drew a blank, and for a moment he had forgotten his own name. He gripped at his gi as he grew cold. He wanted it to end—he wanted to die.
He landed with a thud. Slowly, the cold black turned to a bright white.
Good always conquers Evil.
That's how the story goes, in the perfect world. The hero always prevails, banishing the villain from ever causing mischief again.
Then why did Goten feel like a failure?
The white light was so blinding that he had to shield his eyes. As the light died down, the coldness went away. Goten scanned the area. The white void stretched until the eye could see no more, like the sky and the sea coming together at the horizon. If one did not know better, it could have been mistaken as the Room of Spirit and Time.
Goten heard his name being called. Blinking a few times, he did not react, still in a daze from his fall. He was too afraid to turn around, and see what was waiting for him. Maybe if he ignored it, the voice would go away.
It called his name again.
Slowly, Goten turned around. Standing in front of him was an identical image of himself. The black spiky black hair, young dark eyes…everything was identical right down to the orange gi. The man looked down at him and smiled.
Goten's eyes shook slightly. "Who are you?" He asked quietly, "Are you the future version of me? Am I dreaming?"
The man's smile grew wider. "So what they told me is true."
"What's true?"
He laughed, "We are almost identical, in looks and in personality."
Goten looked at him, "Then, who are you?"
"I'm your father, Goten"
Goten looked at him, his eyes growing wide. Goten could not believe it—he finally got to meet his father, one of the many people who he had never met. One of the many people he had failed to avenge…
"So does this mean I'm dead?"
"No. You're in a void between life and death. That is why I am here," Goku paused looked at Goten seriously. "Now you must listen to me, and you must listen carefully…"
~*~
Trunks blocked a kick from Cell. They had been at it for almost ten minutes, and both were beaten up from their battle. At this point in the game, only the one with the highest stamina and will would win.
Trunks breathed heavily, his heart rasping against his ribs. A pulsing pain ran up his right arm, making it almost impossible to move.
Cell looked at Trunks and laughed. Sure the kid had gotten a few good hits in, but it would never be enough. He was invincible, and no one could stop him! The world had been his for years. It was no use for anyone to try to defeat him, for it would only lead to his or her own demise. Cell smiled wickedly as he thought about it. They had all failed—Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo…all those years ago they had all failed, and now, the children would go through the same. What a wonderful turnout. Oh, what a beautiful day this was…
Trunks looked up at Cell. He had trained so hard. He had tried to become the strongest, despite his age, and it would all be wasted on a monster. For the first time in his life, he had wished that his father were alive. His father would have protected him from harm…right?
But the fact was that he was not there…no one could protect him from the horrors of the world, and for that, he had to be strong. For him and Goten, he had to strong. At such a young age, both the boys had to act older. They had to practically act as adults. For that, he could not give up.
Not yet, anyway.
Trunks gritted his teeth, trying to manage with the damaged arm. Powering up a bit, and flew towards Cell, bringing his fist back. Thrusting it forward, he made contact with Cell's face. He made no wound, not even the faintest dent.
He heard a scream though…
He heard her cry…
~*~
"You're time on Earth is not over. You still have a part to play in this story." Goku finished, sitting down. His voice echoed as he spoke, as if he were a great God. To some, he was, but to most, he was just a ghost from the past. His youthful appearance would never leave him though, no matter how old he grew to be. The innocence that always shone through Goku's eyes was evident in his youngest son's. Goten sat quietly, looking up at Goku in wonder, not understanding what he was saying.
"You still have a role to play. Do you understand me?"
Goten nodded, and said nothing.
"You must go back and help Trunks. I have a feeling he isn't going to hold out much longer."
"But father…I want to stay with you."
"No, you can't! You must go back! You have to help Trunks." Goku inched forward, stopping before Goten. Propping himself up on his knees, he wrapped his muscular arms around Goten's small body.
"We love you," Goku whispered into his ear. "And we're proud of you."
Goten threw his arms around his father's neck, feeling the warmth radiating from his body. So this is what having a father felt like.
Another voice echoed through the room. "Goku…it's time to come back."
Goku took Goten out of his arms, and stood up. "All right King Kai. Just give me another minute!"
"Fine. Hurry up, or you'll be stuck in there forever, and no one wants that."
"Thanks." Goku looked down at Goten, who looked as if he were going to cry. "Don't cry Goten. We'll meet again some day, I promise." He ruffled Goten's hair, and started to walk off. "Tell Trunks that his parents are proud of him—especially Vegeta."
Goten nodded as a few tears ran down his cheeks. He was losing someone else he loved. Sure, he had only known his father for less than an hour, but it had seemed to go on forever for Goten. In the short minutes that Goten had listened to his father talk, he grew to love him. He could tell by the way Goku looked at him that his father had a good heart, and would be with him if he had the chance.
"Father?" Goten said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Can you tell Mom and Videl that I say hi, and that I love them? I'm going to avenge them…I'm going to avenge you…"
Goku smiled warmly at his son. "Sure thing. I need to go now. Good luck."
"Goodbye, Father."
"Goodbye…my son." Goku waved at Goten, and flashed him a warm smile.
He then faded into nothing, leaving Goten alone…again.
~*~
Trunks listened to her scream. The high-pitched noise never ceased. It never grew louder, never grew softer, but continued in one monotonous pitch. Trunks stopped, and backed away from Cell, this scream overtaking his well-being. He grabbed his head in pain—could he only hear it? Could he only hear her scream in pain?
"Vegeta! Help me! Save me!" She called out. Her scream turned into a desperate cry, wavering from time to time. "Vegeta! Don't let him take me. Oh god, don't let him kill me." There was a pause and another cry before the screaming continued, "He's hurting me! My body is shredding…. oh my god, my arm! It's turning into liquid…I'm melting! Oh god, help me. Send me someone to save me…my other arm…this hurts! Stop him! I don't want to die! VEGETA!"
Trunks fell to his knees and gripped at his hair, drenching it in his blood stained hands. Too much…too much screaming, too much crying. He could not take it…to hear her cry was too much.
He dug his fingers into the ground, taking rocks into his hand. He crushed the rocks, let them slip out of his hand, and fly away with the wind, just like everyone else in his life. He dug his fingers into the ground again.
And the crying continued.
As his fingers dug deeper, tears poured from his eyes, forming small pools of salt water in the small ditches in the ground.
"Mother…" He said softly, "He hurt you so much…"
"What are you mumbling about over there? Have you gone crazy?" Cell laughed as he watched Trunks. This would be to his advantage. A Saya-Jin's rage only blinds them, and kills their performance. An easy victory for him…Trunks was as good as dead.
Trunks looked up at Cell. "You bastard…" His ki flared dangerously around him, "YOU BASTARD!" His ki shot up into the air, exploding in the atmosphere. His eyes flickering, he looked at Cell with unbelievable anger. He no longer hated Cell…he loathed Cell. Now he knew how Cell gruesomely killed Bulma. He did not know how her voice had entered his head, but it did, and now Trunks was going to get his revenge…
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
So, both boys want revenge. How will Trunks' fight go with Cell? Make sure you come back for the next chapter!
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