Disclaimer : Toriyama-san's characters are his… The other ones… are mine :p
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ASURA
"There are states... worst than death itself..."
Chapter One: Bloody Plot
Trunks was leaning against the cold wall of the palace, near the entrance, the arms crossed and his face displaying a cold expression. He was framing, without realizing it, the exact attitude of his father, showing - unconsciously - his belonging to the royal family. He was gazing straight before him, apparently absorbed in the count of the cracks in the wall in front of him.
A commotion outside caught his attention. He knew that several minutes before, the ship of his father had landed, and judging the reading of his aura, Vegeta hadn't found his target and was boiling. That was confirming Trunks's doubts… Paragas was lying. He didn't know 'bout what, but he was sure that Paragas wasn't very clear in this affair…
He turned his head in the direction of the entrance and saw soldiers moving away while Vegeta, Paragas and Broly were coming in haste.
"Your majesty…", Paragas began, out of breath. He had apparently run from the ship. It seemed there were something amiss in his plan; that delighted Trunks.
"Hours spent to comb the zone… for nothing ! ", Vegeta's cutting tone shouted.
"We're continuing the research… We need more time… Your Majesty … !"
Paragas seemed to be in a deep shit. Trunks stared at him with a cold and scornful look as he was passing before him, but Paragas didn't seem to notice, all his attention focused on Vegeta. Broly passed before Trunks and the latter watched him in detail again. In spite of his wrestler corpulence, everything in Broly's behavior, his sweet look, his almost smiling face, his silence, were showing that he was more used to obey than to take initiatives. A wild animal, trained to have a puppy's behavior. Perhaps he was also just one more pawn in Paragas' plan, whatever it was…
Trunks found himself feeling some kind of sympathy towards Broly.
He looked in his father's direction, and saw that Goku was sitting on a window sill not far from there. The two enemies were about to meet again. Trunks walked away to the exit to get some fresh air. Goku would take care about his father (even is Vegeta'd prefer to die instead of accepting Goku's help), but he didn't want to be again the witness of his father's arrogance faced to a "low-class soldier".
"Hiya Vegeta", Goku called out cheerfully when Vegeta passed near him.
Vegeta stiffened, then build a face both smiling and scornful, typical made-in-Vegeta. "You came until here just to be killed by me ?"
Goku didn't accept the silent challenge. "It seems that you haven't found yet the Super Saiya-jin, I'm wrong ?"
Vegeta clinched his teeth, near to the point of making his jaws explode : "Mind your business ! I am the only one who will find the legendary super saiya-jin… And I'll beat the hell out of him !!"
*Baka !*, Trunks thought, half for his father whose intelligence seemed most of the time blinded by his ego, half for himself for not to have left sooner, and for having been the witness of the usual scene between the two old 'pals'.
Vegeta continued his way. " Aha… ", Goku said for himself, " Vegeta is acting even more strangely than usually… It must be his new status that went over his head…"
He interrupted himself suddenly when he felt some threat behind him. He turned and saw a young Saiya-jin, rather corpulent with mid-long dark hair, displaying a withdrawn anger on his face. Goku gazed him for awhile, trying to remember if he had already seen this man before. The probability was low, according to the fact that the man was belonging to the saiya-jin kind. Nevertheless, the man was gazing him intensely. Then a hatred mask appeared on his face as he was raising his ki quickly. Goku felt the veiled threat and raised his own ki, in response.
Trunks was almost outside when he stopped suddenly. What he was feeling behind him was meaning no good. He turned slowly and saw Goku and Broly, face to face in a nerve-fight. Broly's greenish aura was now clearly visible, and the over-charges of hatred he was emitting were in a total contrast with his placid attitude some moments before.
Trunks saw then Paragas bursting with a little machine in his hand and ordering to Broly to calm down. At that moment, Kamesenin and Oolong turned up suddenly right into the nerves war. Kamessenin was requesting to be brought back on Earth, pretending that this planet wasn't worthy of anything. Goku turned away from Broly to salute his former master, but one second later, he was facing Broly again. To his surprise, Broly gave up his hostile attitude two seconds later, and Goku himself relaxed, yet unsure.
Trunks, as for him, was gazing Paragas who seemed to have forgotten his presence. Paragas' face had shown in a few seconds a whole assortment of expression like anger, fear, grudge, despair, authority, distress… Trunks was finding the man less and less clear… But as they left the corridor, Trunks turned away to the outside and took off.
Kamessenin was right on one point… That planet wasn't worthy of anything… It had nothing to do with its appearance… But for something behind… And Trunks's senses, developed during a war against machines that would take place in a near future, weren't misleading him. The odor of this planet, of these trees, of these buildings… Something was wrong… This imperceptible vibration he was perceiving in all things, as if a motor was animating them, were making him feeling unease…
A few hours earlier, with Gohan and Krilin, they had found a mine where slaves were extracting energy in order to supply the good part of New-Vegitasei. What Paragas had shown to Vegeta, claming it was an ideal planet to re-start the Saiya-jin Empire, wasn't only the visible part of the iceberg. But why specially this planet ? There were certainly hundred of other planets in the universe that wouldn't ask so much maintenance. Not to mention the energy reserves of this planet which would end by exhaustion, soon or late…
Trunks was then rejoined by Gohan and Krilin. They were bringing
both a big bag full of food for the slaves. Trunks followed them, talking there
the occasion to have a kind of "war meeting".
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" Paragas isn't the one who attacked your planet ? ", Trunks
asked.
Between two mouthfuls, swallowed in haste, one of the slaves replied by the negative.
Trunks went on: " Broly has the strength of a saiya-jin, but judging his level, it can't be him neither… "
Gohan smiled to the slaves: " We'll come to bring you more food tomorrow… "
" Thank you ", many among them happily said in chorus, while the others choked happily with the food
" I wouldn't be surprised that Paragas would be trying to delay the researches", Trunks whispered, looking at the chaotic landscape of this planet through the filthy window of the room. "I wonder what he's trying to protect…"
" Huh ? ", Krilin said. But Trunks seemed to be again dived in too
deep thought to tempt to extract him.
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"Approach… Approach, O Neylleyh comet… Turn this damn planet into ashes… ", Paragas whispered, facing the prism that were slowly pivoting on themselves, each revealing in their turn a bluish light that Paragas was calling " comet ".
Too focused in his contemplation, Paragas didn't notice a shadow that had get into the room, but he startled when he heard the sound of the young voice.
" So that was your plan! To attract us all here to make us die ! "
Paragas turned to the young purple hair warrior. The perfect anger mask on his face reminded him suddenly the late King Vegeta. Apart from his eyes and hair color, his grandson was his spitting image at this very moment. He pushed away the unpleasant memory that was trying to edge its way in his mind, in order to keep all his self-assurance.
" My boy… You should have better stay in the palace to sleep with the others… "
" Or what ? ", Trunks retorted. " You hope to scare me ? You're not a match to me and you know it ! "
Paragas smiled mischievously : " yes... perhaps *I* am not… But… "
At that very moment, Trunks felt a presence behind him. He turned and saw Broly who was stretching quickly a hand to his throat. He was faster than what Trunks had expected from him… But not enough for someone who had spent his youth in a fight where the speed was a main trump card.
Broly's hand missed Trunks's throat from a few inches… but quickly fell back on his coat, projecting him with a turning movement in the wall aside. Trunks hit violently the metallic wall, but was quickly on his feet. He rapidly realized that Broly was barring the exit with his size. He would need to drawn him more inside the room in order to clear the exit. Then he thought that Broly wouldn't be a match if he were turning into his super saiya-jin form.
" Broly ! I don't wanna fight against you ", he yelled to the big warrior.
At that very moment, Paragas put his hand in a little machine that was looking like three rings scaled up the ones in the others and aimed Broly : " Get me rid of this cumbersome witness, Broly. "
" Are you kidding ? ", Trunks said in a breath. *This Paragas… He doubts of nothing… Or else…*
He turned to Broly as he was feeling his ki increasing rapidly and the greenish aura increased around him.
*Or else…*, Trunks thought again, unable to formulate the end of his thought.
Broly's hair raised and took a purple color while his eyes were becoming blue. The next moment, a gigantic weight was hitting Trunks's chest, cutting his breath. Blinded by the pain, he jumped without thinking on the side. A good idea: he thus avoided then a terrific fist, which made a hole in the wall where his head had been a few instants before.
Curled up on the ground, Trunks realized with horror that he couldn't breathe anymore. He felt a rapid movement to him, and rolled on himself to dodge it. Broly's fist slammed the place where he had been half a second earlier, digging a mini-crater in the paving. Trunks, in his movement, hit Paragas's leg who took the opportunity to lean on him and to place a collar around his neck. When Trunks realized what Paragas was tempting, it was too late.
Trunks jumped on aside and raised his hand to his throat, and felt the cold metal. He managed to get back his breath, but realized that to breathe was horribly painful. He coughed and saw blood on his hand. He understood that he had probably one or two broken ribs. It was imperative that he escaped to warn Goku of the danger.
Paragas saw that Trunks was gazing the outside and softly laughed : " If your plans are to warn the other, let me give you an advice : in the palace, and in the ship, there are two radio transmitters. If you approach them at less than 300 feet, your collar will explode ! ", he burst out laughing in front of Trunks's face expression, and went on : " the same thing if you try to remove it from your neck… But you don't have to worry 'bout that. You don't risk approaching the radio transmitters… Broly will take care of you. "
Trunks clenched his fist. Broly had won the fist part by using the surprise effect. This time, Trunks would fight him with the whole SSJ2 strength. He had only used this technique once, during the fight against Cell, and he knew he had to take care not to lose control, in order not to become a killing machine. He concentrated to raise his ki in order to pass to the first step of the transformation.
And then he felt something was wrong…
… He couldn't transform anymore…
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The human projectile came smashing among the trees of the forest. Trunks was covered with blood, his body broken and his breathing irregular. Blinded by the pain radiating in his whole being, he blocked his breathing during a few seconds, eyes violently closed and mouth opened in a mute scream. If the intensity of the pain seemed to slightly decrease, it flew back like a powerful wave when he took back his breathing. He realized that most of his ribs were probably broken. He felt choking and coughed. A taste of blood filled his mouth and he understood that one of his ribs had probably perforated a lung. He opened his eyes and saw the sun above him, shining with a golden light… But… It was full night !!! He saw then the sun coming back on him like a prey-bird. What he had thought to be the sun was in fact a burning blast fired by his opponent. He was suffering atrociously, but he absolutely had to dodge the fireball. He repeated for himself the order : " move… move… MOVE !!!!".
He felt the heat burning his cloth and scorching his skin as the fireball was passing a few inches from him. He had managed by jumping to just dodge it, but he didn't get the time to enjoy his meager victory a long time. The blast had just hit the ground when he felt a powerful hand grasping his throat.
Broly tightened his grip on his opponent, and pushed him in a near rock. The shock split the stone, but it didn't explode. Through the opaque curtain of his pain, Trunks felt that his opponent was trying to strangle him and he raised his hands to his throat to try to disengage. But Broly's grip was too strong and his power too colossal for his young opponent, already broken by the previous onslaughts, to slacken the grip
Seeing that his prey was trying to struggle, Broly stroke to him a fist blow in the rib cage. Trunks'd have screamed, if Broly's hand weren't tightening his throat. Instead, his shout, kept inside his chest, only increased his pain. Understanding the effect of this blow, Broly repeated it twice or thrice more.
Even in the future, as far as he could remember, Trunks hadn't felt such a pain. His latest fight against the cyborgs seemed now to have been a sweet caress, compared to what he was enduring right now. He could scarcely see his opponent ; a dazzling was filling almost his whole visual range. A shrill and persistent tone was ringing in his mind without a break, reminding the sound attempts of a TV, with the maximum volume. Already, his grip on Broly's wrists that he was desperately trying to move away, was slackening. Broly increased his pressure on Trunks's neck, tightening near the point of breaking the back of his neck, depriving his opponent's brain of oxygen. Trunks felt the darkness engulfing him as the pain was exploding in his head. He had to warn the other… ! He tried to fire a blast to Broly, but in reality, his gesture ended in a slight movement of the hand, almost imperceptible. And then came the darkness...
Trunks's body relaxed completely. Broly kept nevertheless the pressure still some seconds, before Paragas ordered him to stop, giving more weight to his order with the electronic machine thanks to which he was controlling his son.
Broly let go Trunks who collapsed lifeless on the ground. In the pallid light provided by the two moons, Paragas examined the prince's body. He leant to observe him more and took one of his hands in his. The strangulation marks on his throat and the tip of his fingered blue turned were testifying of a death by suffocation. Nothing really natural, nor really conventional if he wanted to show this death as a fight-death. He would need to hide the body for the last 24 hours remaining for this planet. Perhaps Trunks's disappearance would push Vegeta to remain on New Vegitasei to find him… Paragas thought he could also let the prince's body to the rare wild beasts of this planet. The reason of the death would be more difficult to determine for the others, and Vegeta wouldn't believe anymore to a fight. Paragas could even – ironically – pushing the clues to the legendary super saiya-jin, which would push Vegeta to make a research here, on this very planet.
Paragas smiled. The unexpected intrusion of the young Trunks in his plans was in fact making them easier to apply. He moved absentmindedly his hand to Trunks's throat to skim the marks. He frowned suddenly and pressed his fingers against one of the veins…
The pulse was still beating imperceptibly. Paragas let go an admiring whistle for the living will of the prince. Then, in a flash, all the humiliations and the exile that the previous King had made him suffer came painfully back in his memory, and he knew what he had to do.
Trunks was too tall for him and would hamper his movements, therefore he ordered Broly, now calm and his appearance back to normal, to carry the young man. Broly leant over Trunks and took him under his arm, like a ragbag. Trunks, by the way, didn't react more.
"Let's get rid of him", Paragas told to his son. Broly nodded. He knew what his father meant. They both flew to a crater at some miles away from the palace. None of the newcomers were aware of its existence, as it wasn't on the travelling roads side. Paragas and Broly landed on the edge covered by a coat of ice. Broly grabbed Trunks by his belt and held him for a moment suspended above the drop. The freezing wind, coming from the chasm itself, was tangling the young man's hair. The blood, flowing from his numerous wounds was pushed away by gusts of wind.
Then Broly let Trunks go.
Trunks's inert body began his long fall to the icy darkness. Paragas couldn't prevent a dull laugh. His revenge on the royal family had just begun. This laugh, resounding on the crater face, escorted Trunks in his long travel to the unknown.
[TO BE CONTINUED…]
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Sorry for the English which was 'certainly' awful… I was searching through my fanfic site and realized I hadn't posted yet this fic on FF.net… I tried to correct some expression (I wrote it like 2 years ago) but at 2h30 a.m., you can't be very efficient ;) Those who once read this fic on my site, good news: it will go on :)))))))
If you were not too disgusted by this first chapter, and that you want to read more, I'll post more ;)
Hugs :)
::Roselyne::
