Author's Note:
This is the second to the last chapter of this fanfic. As much as I would love expanding this to include what happens in the later years, I want to go back to working on its sequel, Renascimento, which I am revising greatly, now that I've seen most of the Buu saga. Besides, I think it would be good to leave the speculating to you. *grins* Anyway, I won't delay you any further, here's Chapter Twenty-One. Please review and share to me your thoughts.
Crimson Tide
Chapter Twenty-One: Final Atonement
His sapphire eyes narrowed drastically, Trunks gritted his teeth as he continued to do his part in the seemingly endless struggle of survival against the Hakaijin warlord who he believed to be the incarnation of the devil --- or perhaps Thanatos was the devil himself, for that matter. "Damn it," the demi-saiyajin cursed as he deflected another bolt of energy that the warlord hurled at him. He was losing energy fast, and if the energy loss would continue, he would lose everything he had left in no time.
Including Earth and all of its inhabitants.
"The time has come to put an end to this show, my apprentice. I'll give you one last chance, one last choice to make," Thanatos muttered as he stopped and extended his hand to offer something. From the look in his glowing red orbs, it was something that would determine the fate of his adversary and the planet they were battling upon. "Join me, or die. Your decision."
In response, the young man laughed. "What is it with me that you're still offering me one last chance? Am I really that precious for you to lose?" he asked sarcastically, his eyes glittering in a crazed fashion. Yes, he knew he was out of his mind --- but not that out of his mind that he was going to fall for the demon's traps. "Sorry, Master, but I've changed alliances. I'm fighting the good fight now, and if you wish to kill me, then I suggest you try. You won't get rid of me that easily."
An angry light shone through the other's feral eyes, and with a cold voice, he muttered, "Very well. Let's end this now, then." He then resumed the fighting stance he had adapted --- the demi-saiyajin doing the same --- cupped his hands together, and began charging up another energy wave. His final attack. "We've had this battle long enough."
"With pleasure," the half-alien warrior replied in an equally cool voice. He thought of all the mistakes he committed, all the wrong he had done --- and most importantly, all the people he had hurt and all the people he had lost. Bra, Ariadne, Krillin, Juuhachigou, Chichi, Vegeta, Goku, Celeste, Keeney, Boxer, Goten...
He screamed, his power flowing out of his body like a fountain that had no intention of depriving those who need its water. If he had dropped out of his super saiyajin power-up moments earlier, he was recovering --- in fact, he was more than just recovering. His golden locks began to stretch longer and longer, his eyes began to glow with a brighter, fiercer hue of green.
When he completed the transformation to the third level of a super saiyajin, he prepared a massive energy blast of his own as a counterstrike. Goten, the demi-saiyajin thought to himself with much sadness and regret, but as he averted his gaze at Thanatos, his cerulean eyes hardened, shining with fierceness and determination. He had one last chance, one last chance to redeem himself --- and he was going to use it well. I won't let you down, buddy.
When Thanatos released his hideous-looking beam of overflowing power, Trunks blasted the warlord with the ki he managed to charge up in his cupped hands as well, and the final game of tug-of-war began between the two most powerful warriors left on the planet, the two on the opposite sides of the spectrum. The fate of the world lay on Trunks Briefs-Vegeta's hands --- and the energy wave he was putting all his strength and power into at the moment, for that matter.
"Lady Keeney, what's wrong?"
The female demi-saiyajin stared at the vast Sabrean sky that was accented with starfighters, freighters and mini-transports that moved about live fireflies in the dark night. Her fear-filled eyes focused on the spots of light that were nearly invisible to the naked eye with a hand pinned against her chest as if she was trying to stop her heart from beating frantically as it was doing now. "I'm afraid... I have a very bad feeling that something had gone terribly wrong on Earth. And that something involves my family..."
"Don't worry, Keeney," Videl, who now stood as the Empress of Sabrea at the former Empress Callista's downfall, said as she stepped up beside the tense demi-saiyajin. She was concerned --- worried, in fact --- but she tried not to show what she was feeling deep inside of her, as it would only cause even more trouble on the situation at hand. "I'm sure they're doing fine. I just received a transmission from Goten. He's on his way here, and he brought good news."
The younger woman raised an eyebrow with a dangerous edge, clearly sensing the false tone of glee the empress used.
At that, the Empress sighed, apparently defeated. If there was one thing about the saiyajins that she didn't like, it was the fact that they were very stubborn warriors. "And bad news," she added, pursing her lips together to regain her composure before continuing. "However, there is nothing to worry about. The best specialists in this planet are standing by to attend to your brother the moment he arrives with Goten."
"My b-brother?" Keeney asked as she whirled around to face her friend, immediately worried and alarmed beyond belief. The warning bell at the back of her mind, after all, had burst into a deafening symphony. "W-what h-happened to him? H-how severe is his c-condition? What about G-goten?" Then, she added, "And which of m-my b-brothers?
"Just don't think about it. Boxer will be fine."
The flame in Keeney's eyes erupted instantly. If there was anyone he cared for among her siblings the most, it was Boxer, her younger brother. Not only was he young and innocent, he was there when her other siblings weren't. "Just don't think about it?! How could I not, Videl?! Boxer is my brother for crying out loud!" she exclaimed angrily, her hands clenched into fists helplessly at her sides. "What about Trunks? And my father? What happened to them?!"
"Calm down, Keeney. Calm down."
"TELL ME!"
Videl looked at the demi-saiyajin in silence for a while, trying to find the best way to break the truth, then she shook her head. There was obviously no other way but to tell her the truth, no matter what its effects would be to the young woman's unusually short temper. "I don't know. Goten didn't mention anything about it. If you like, I'll take you to the control center for you to listen to his message."
"Take me there, then."
The older woman nodded curtly, and then she lead Keeney to the control station of the Sabrean Royal Palace, a vast office that seemed to stretch on and on through its walls that depicted the vastness of the realm past the planet's atmosphere. A few scientists snuggled on their seats, facing their computers, hammering away. Some were programming new weapons --- specifically ones that involved biotechnology --- while others were scouting for those with potential for the Royal Army. The rest of the Sabreurs were working on confidential matters.
When they reached the main computer of the center, Videl motioned the station commander to move out of her seat. Once the commander did so, Keeney slid in, put on the headphones, and listened to the rather faint transmission from the starfighter Kibou, which was only a few light-years away by then.
Sabrea control station, this is Goten Son, pilot of starfighter Kibou, class Chikyuu-Sabrean X-303, with identification code MVDA95K9. Videl, I need your help. Boxer is severely injured and he needs medical assistance as soon as we get there. We might lose him if he will not be attended to immediately. We're on our way, just a few light-years off --- and please tell Keeney that everything is under control. Over and out.
"He better be all right, Goten," Keeney muttered, tears springing to her eyes. "He better be all right."
The game of tug-of-war continued for what seemed like a very long time, and to the demi-saiyajin's advantage, Thanatos was losing his edge. Trunks, with fierce emerald eyes that held determination like no other, began to advance and move closer towards the dark lord. "Give it up, Thanatos!" the young man screamed for the other to hear him despite of the deafening noise made by their powerful energy blasts that collided with each other. "Your game's up"
No... I won't give up... Damnit... Thanatos thought as he gritted his teeth, for the energy wave he was hanging on to began to slip out of his control. He was frustrated, not only because he was losing, but he was losing to the young man who he thought he had successfully corrupted. Fragments of Trunks' massive blast dissipated from their source and bombarded themselves on the warlord, and then, it happened.
Thanatos lost his concentration.
His energy wave, Hinohakai, the Flame of Destruction, went off-course --- and he was too weak to move, so much more charge up another energy blast. He used up all of his strength for that killer attack, and yet, his killer attack failed him. At that, Trunks strode forward, his guard still up, and finally, he was standing in front of his adversary, the dark soul who had terrorized them for so long, the pit of evil who took the lives of the people he so loved.
The dark lord's expression of fear and panic was matched then and there by the cruel and revengeful facade of the super warrior he was facing. Thanatos took a step back, fearing defeat, humiliation and even worse --- death --- at the hands of a mere demi-saiyajin, a demi-saiyajin who he once managed to crush and take advantage of, but was now crushing him in return.
However, the more he backed off, the more Trunks advanced. There was nothing else on his mind but the elimination of the alien warrior who plagued their lives and filled the world with darkness. After all, despite the fact that his fallen comrades could be wished back to life by the Namekian Dragonballs --- as their own magical spheres lost their power at Dende's murder --- their team of freedom fighters, led by Goku, agreed that they would not toy with death and destiny any longer. If they were to die, then they would stay dead.
That thought made the demi-saiyajin stronger than ever, his anger filling him. There was no way to bring back everyone who had perished. His little sister, Bra, was gone forever. So was his father, Vegeta, and the love of his life, Celeste, who he stole from his best friend and eventually, induced to commit suicide. There was no way he was losing anyone ever again. "Scared, Thanatos? So who's the coward now? How does it feel? How does it feel to be afraid? To tremble like a scared little kid? To shiver like a helpless creature pitted against an extra-powerful super warrior? Face it, Thanatos. I win."
And taking the chance, Trunks attacked, releasing all the power he had left along with all the negative emotions he felt inside his heart. The negative emotions that destroyed his humanity, that destroyed who he was --- all the anger, the hatred, the bitterness, the envy, the distrust, the insecurity, the lust, and everything else that polluted his soul.
Then, it was over.
Thanatos stood there, unmoving and without a sound for a few heartbeats, but after what seemed to be forever, his eyes widened, his face lost its color, his heart stopped beating, his ki ceased from flowing through his body, and he fell limply to the ground, never again to rise up and terrorize anyone.
Exhausted beyond belief, the demi-saiyajin fell on both knees, clutching his chest as he gasped for breath. He was happy to have made it through the odds, to have thrown away the last remainder of the horrible life he lived --- but he was not satisfied. There was nothing more he wanted than to be with his family and friends once again, but he felt that he did not deserve to live that kind of life after all that he had done in the past.
It was time to pay the price.
And as if on cue, pain struck him from all sides. Pain that he had never felt before, not even in the midst of his battle with the warlord of hell. Trunks then fell on all fours, his hair and eye color returning to normal, blood dripping from his wounds, sweat dripping from his skin, still gasping for breath as he felt his lungs close on him. His vision blurred, his senses weakened, his world spun.
He lifted his blue eyes, blue eyes that were losing its color, as he attempted to break free from what was trying to get him, when he saw a dark figure standing in front of him in a still yet heart-stopping manner. It wore a hood that was in the darkest shade of ebony, held a weapon that looked like a larger version of a scythe --- only a lot deadlier --- and held out a thin, ghoulish hand towards the demi-saiyajin who was near-death. "It is time," it said coldly, almost lifelessly.
Trunks stared, attempting to determine who it was, but all he saw was a figure clad in dark clothing that just didn't seem to belong in the world he lived in. And the figure's hand that was white, pale and extraordinarily thin for a man of that body size and height.
Then it hit him.
"Yes, it is time," he whispered, his voice soft --- almost as if he, too, was fading into the darkness, to where the stranger belonged. Finally accepting his fate, his honorable end, he took the Grim Reaper's hand, but before he was pulled into the gate that opened up for them, he softly added, "Goten... forgive me."
Goten... forgive me.
The dark-haired demi-saiyajin jolted awake, and almost immediately, he called out with an appalled tone, "Trunks?"
However, he saw no one, only Boxer who was unconscious in the co-pilot's seat at the moment. Goten, still confused at what he just felt and heard, continued to look around the cockpit and into the back compartment of the starfighter --- then froze, his raven eyes widening in shock and terror. He could not feel Thanatos' ki, nor could he trace a speck of the evil he brought with him, but he, too, could not sense Trunks' presence anywhere.
"No..."
But it happened.
I deserve to rot in the depths of hell to atone for everything I've done, his best friend's words echoed in his mind as tears of anger and frustration cascaded from his anguished eyes. He squeezed them shut, as if forcing the tears and the fact that Trunks was dead away, but his efforts were all in vain. After slamming his fists on the controls in frustration, and nearly sending their spacecraft into a collision course with an asteroid, he leaned back against his seat, feeling so lost and alone.
On the viewscreen, he could see the demi-saiyajin's face, his face back when their lives were filled with no worries, except for work, occasional dates, and chocolate cake. As quickly as the illusion appeared, it faded back into the darkness of space, never to be seen again --- just as Trunks Briefs-Vegeta himself was never ever to be seen again.