Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with DBZ. Serina,
however, is mine.
Training Begins and the Past Revealed
Over the next week, Serina and Trunks couldn't concentrate on anything. Serina's mind was plagued by the painful imagery. She couldn't wipe the image of the premonition from her mind. It haunted her while she was working on school, dance, thinking, she couldn't even sleep without seeing Cells face looming out of the dark. Trunks, however, was thinking of something quite different.
A few days after finding out that Serina was a Sayain and having most of his questions about the mysterious girl finally answered, Trunks shut himself in his dorm. He was thinking, thinking about Serina-again. He paced back and forth over and over again, not knowing what to do or think.
' *Sigh,' he thought, 'I can't remember what happened then, but I'm sure that Serina and I trained together. I haven't trained with a girl since then; I don't know how I should take this. Should I go easy on her so I won't hurt her?' He thought for a moment, and then shook the thought away.
' No,' he told himself, ' She'd kill me if I went even the slightest bit less then what I'm able to. She's strong, and she can take most anything. I think with a few weeks of training, I can get her up to where I want her to be. But . . . how do I train with her? I'm unsure of how I should do this . . . and it's not the reason that I'd expect it to be. I'm worried that I might hurt her, of course, but that's not it. The worst thing is, the most horrible, inconvenient problem that could happen right now. . . he sat down with frustration, taking his head in his hands and took in a shaky breath, not wanting to admit what he needed to tell himself. If he said it aloud, it would be final, no taking it back. Thinking on that notion, the truth hit him hard.
" I like her." He said softly, " How can I train her if I'm worried about what could happen to her? I have to protect her no matter what. But I don't think it's just liking her anymore. I think it's leaning more toward-- "
Suddenly, Trunks heard a knock from his door. Serina poked her smiling face in his dorm, looking quite pleased to find him still there.
" Hi." She said as she came to sit down in the plushy chair next to him.
" What are you doing here so late?" he asked in mock surprise, " I know how much you hate to break curfew."
She made a face and continued, " What are you doing?" she asked.
" Just thinking about what to do for the training session, that's all. Why do you ask?" he questioned as he placed his feet in her lap. She gave a disapproving glare but made no effort to move them.
" You look a little concerned." She said simply. He just shook his head.
" We'll, I have a good reason to be a little concerned, but it's nothing. So what's up?" he said as she looked up. She gazed at him for a moment, not blinking or moving as if she were looking for something on his face, something that would help her. She quickly snapped out of it and blushed lightly, looking to his feet once more.
" I just wanted to know when we were starting the training, and stuff." She replied shyly, sounding as if it wasn't what she was originally going to say. Trunks thought that she was acting a little weird. She was hardly ever shy with him. She was thinking of something, but he decided not to worry about it.
" Well, I have band practice tonight in a half hour or so, how bout tomorrow?" he asked. She nodded in approval.
" That sounds good to me. I have a meeting tonight with my professor. I have to compose a piece for a grade, and then teach it to high school students. I also have to play with them to show my skills." She replied in an exasperated tone. He raised a brow.
" Compose a piece? What instruments do you play, anyways?"
" Plenty." She said smoothly, " I play violin, sax, some guitar, a little bass, piano, clarinet--"
" Ok, forget I asked." He replied, his eyes wide with surprise, " I had no idea you played all of those. God, are you some kind of freak?"
" I like to have a lot on my head, is that so bad?" she asked pleasantly as she messed with his toes, " So, tomorrow around eleven-ish?"
" That sounds good to me." He said back. She pushed his feet off her lap with an "oomph" and stood up to exit.
" I'll see you tomorrow then. Good luck with practice." And with that she kissed him on the cheek. He stood speechless for a moment before responding back.
" And you with you're a-a-a meeting thing." He stuttered helplessly. She giggled and said bye before leaving the red Trunks.
As soon as she left, he hit his head with his hand and began ranting," Why do I act so stupid? GOD! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid . . ." he said as he hit his head softly against the wall. After a few minutes, a crack snaked its way up the wall, sparking little spindles at the end.
As he was in mid bump, an idea popped into his head. A song? It was just a melody at first, but then the song began to take form, words attaching soon after. He reached for a pencil and paper and sat down to write the be comings of a song. After twenty minutes or so of pouring his heart onto the paper, he realized he was late for practice. He hurried out, leaving the song there.
The next night after discussing where they'd meet on the island, the pair took off for the trip. A million questions popped into Serina's head as they flew over the crystal like water of OSU. She was dying to ask Trunks if he remembered anything else.
Sometimes, late at night, Serina would wake up from a feverish dream, screaming out Gohan's name. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall much at all. She'd cover her eyes, pretending that she was asleep so the image would play for her again. But it was all for naught. She would cry out in frustration every time.
But lately, the day that Gohan had died, along with many other things, had been becoming more and more clearer. Gohan's death was in her head, but she wasn't willing to except the truth quite yet. She grew up believing something different, it's hard to change. She looked at Trunks again, wondering if he was thinking the same things she was.
All the questions remained unanswered, however, when she saw how calm Trunks looked. He was quite somber as they touched down on the soil of the island, landing in the exact same spot Serina was at last time. He would have questions as well, but he was keeping it inside of him, so she would too.
" Well, this looks like a good place to start. It's a good area. Lots of trees, though." Said Trunks, who was surveying it closely for the first real time. There was plenty of space, except the few trees that strayed from the rest of the woods.
" Yeah," she said back, " There's a lake over there too, if you want water or a bath, because I know you get smelly sometimes." She smirked at him, but he only smirked back.
" Would we share bath time? I mean, I get really lonely, and you could be my bath buddy. I bet you that you need someone to scrub your back, and I know I need someone to reach those trouble spots." He replied as she turned bright red.
" I don't think so, you pervert. Any who, do we get to start now?" she asked eagerly. He smirked with amusement.
" Ah, yes young grasshopper, I think we shall start with a warm up." He replied
" What type of warm up, *master," she said sarcastically, " stretching or whatever?"
" Not that type of warm up." He told her, " Get ready."
" For wha--" she started, but was cut off by Trunks hurtling two bright yellow energy balls in her direction.
" GAGHHH!!!" she let out as she dodged the first one by doing the splits in the air, the second missing her head by inches.
" That kind of warm up." Trunks finished, " Isn't it great!"
" Great," she let out in a low growl, " just great." And before she could go and kill him, Trunks sent another five her way.
" Unbelievable!" she cried out as she dodged the first two, " I can't believe this guy. Whoa!" she dodged a third one from behind, " I'm gonna kick his a--" and she flipped over the forth, then immediately turning to blow up the last blast with her own. She swiveled to face Trunks. She marched to him; shear anger displayed on her face.
" I'm going to KILL you, you evil, psychotic son of a --"
" Whoa there, Serina," he said, fear evident in his voice, " calm down. It was just a test to see how well you do with more than one thing coming at you. Obviously the exercise was mediocre, but how was I suppose to know that you were so far already?"
" You want me to--to calm . . . calm *down?" she said, almost in hysterics, " How can I calm down with the-the whoosh, and the AGGH, and the- the," she screamed while throwing her arms around wildly. Trunks quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and gave an apologetic look.
" I'm sorry! I had no idea you would react like this, relax ok?" he exclaimed in a pleading voice. She quickly calmed herself.
" A little warning or hint might be a good thing for you if you want to make it through these training sessions." She said quietly, " It's not the fact that I can't defend myself against those typed of things, I just haven't had a real head to head combat with anyone in a while. The element of surprise might be a little iffy right now"
" From what I saw, it didn't look that way." He replied, " That was some quick work there. I have to admit, you're speed is . . . rather impressive."
" It's nothing to wow about." She said modestly, " Mine's nothing compared to yours."
" I wouldn't say that." He responded.
" I would." She said with a note of finality in her voice, but continued on with a sense of un-sureness, " I just feel like I don't have enough in me to reach where you are now. I feel . . . weak."
Trunks snorted in reply, " You think you're not strong compared to me? Come now Serina, don't put yourself down. I think you may be a little confused. How about we start sparing and I'll show you how " weak" you are."
Trunks began to power up, which only lessened Serina's spirit even more.
" I don't know what you're thinking, but powering up isn't going to help." She told him but powered up as well.
Suddenly, both charged forward, their impact was like throwing two boulders at each other. The fight had begun.
Serina punched and blocked and did whatever she possibly could to fight back Trunks' obviously stronger abilities. Serina was having fun, but she did not like to lose. He knew of this and gave her a slightly arrogant smirk.
" You're ENJOYING this?" she bellowed over the clash of their fists.
He thought for a moment. Actually he was enjoying their session a lot. It had been a while since he had a really good spar with someone, and Serina was easy to anger. Oh yes, he was going to have a lot of fun this year . . . .
" Of course I am," he yelled back, determined to get her to fight at her best level, " You're just upset because you're going to lose."
" You think so?" she asked back. She had to keep her cool. She was easy to manipulate when she was angry.
" Oh, yes. In fact, I bet you that Jake could probably take you down."
" Yeah, if he tripped on me." She replied coolly.
" Well, I bet you that I'll win this fight." He told her as she ducked from a punch.
" Don't flatter yourself." She told him, Trunks recalling that Gohan would say that phrase when Trunks got too confident, " What are you going to bet?" she asked, almost afraid to hear his answer.
" If I win, you have to . . . do my laundry for a week."
" Oh my god Trunks, that was so lame." She replied.
" You didn't let me finish. Jake and I do each other's laundry, his goes in there too."
Serina let out a scream, nearly falling out of the sky.
" Underwear too?" she coughed. He nodded his head, " If I do that, then you have to agree that if I win you have to do my laundry too, and clean my dorm."
" That's not fair!" he cried out.
" It includes my underwear too."
Trunks choked, allowing Serina several punches while his guard was down. This wasn't going to turn out pretty.
" A-are you serious?" he stuttered fearfully, " *your underwear? Um . . .are you sure you want me, a male, to be handling your underwear?"
" Yep. If I have to do yours, you have to do mine. It's only fair." She replied in a singsong voice.
They stopped fighting for a moment, pausing only to think. This wasn't a good situation to be in. But if either of them backed down, it would show the other that they were . . .well, chicken. And what a horrible prospect that would be. Yep, it was the battle of the stubborn demi Saiyans. Who would win?
" Alright," said Trunks at last, " I accept your conditions. But it was a very hard decision." he sniffed.
" Funny, I never thought you a conservative person." Mused Serina as she darted at him again. They began their fight again. The two fought fiercely for a long while. Trunks punched Serina hard in the face. She flung helplessly toward the trees, but forcing herself to stop. Trunks, though not his best, was astonished.
" Not so easy Trunks." She called out, " I might not be as good as you, but I can still kick your ass."
" I don't doubt that!" he said shrilly, " I was just trying to provoke you a little, that's all. You're a little slow with you're dashing, though."
" I guess I'll work on that." She said as they powered up and went at it again.
An hour flew by quickly, and neither showed signs of giving up. Trunks, of course, hand the upper hand, but Serina was determined. She fought hard against him, but as much as she tried she couldn't find anything wrong in Trunks' elite fighting style. It was as if he was perfect.
After the millionth time that night, Trunks kicked Serina hurtled across the trees. She was kicked so hard that she couldn't force herself to stop. She hit a tree and it snapped on impact. ' Wonderful, Trunks.' She thought sarcastically, then looked behind her at the poor tree, which was scattered beyond help.
'Just wonderful.'
Serina sat up and rubbed her back painfully. She looked up at Trunks, who was lowering himself to the ground. He looked like a small child who knew he did something wrong.
" Hey!" she yelled at him, " That really hurt! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow . . ." she said continuously as Trunks walked closer to her .
" Serina?" he questioned as she gave him a look, " I know this is probably really going to sound dumb, but I'm really sorry."
Serina breathed hard, Trunks was no easy sparring partner. He held out his hand and she took it. He pulled her to her feet. Trunks brought her close and inspected her face, turning it to the side and back again with his hand.
" You ok?" he asked softly, as if she was a bomb and would explode if he did anything slowly, " You have some scrapes on your face. They don't look bad, there's not much blood or anything." She could feel his breath on her skin. The sensation was . . . rather nice. It was kind of comforting in a way. It was warm and smelled of hot pockets.
Hot pockets?
'Ok,' she thought, ' if I can smell what he ate before he came here, I think I'm a little too close. But . . . it smells kinda good . . . " Serina?" he asked again, and she snapped out of it.
" Yeah, I'm good. Just try not to aim me at trees anymore, ok?" she asked as he laughed.
" How about we call it a day?" he told her as he let her go, though she didn't move very far. She gave him a confused look.
" What? That's it? Trunks, I have so much to learn!" she replied worriedly.
" Don't worry about it. I have plans for you." He said coolly.
" What do you mean, "plans"?" she said, cocking a perfectly arched eyebrow.
" You just need a little time to work up to the status that I want you to reach."
" And what exactly is that?"
Trunks shrugged a little, looking to the ground for a moment.
" Well, Super Saiyan of course." He exclaimed after a while.
" What?!?" she screamed, falling over dramatically.
" Is it really that hard to believe?" he asked her as she got back up.
She brushed herself off and looked into his face intently as she replied, " You really think I could do it?"
" Yes, I do. But what's more important is that *you believe you can do it."
She looked away from him. How could he be so sure of her when she wasn't even sure she could do it herself? It wasn't like she hadn't tried. There had been countless times that she stood on Kami Island, powering up to her full strength. She thought of unhappy memories, of losses she had in her life, plenty of things that should've sparked *something. But it was as if there was a barrier preventing her from reaching her goal. So many times she had been close, but never close enough. It was hopeless. There was never even a slight flicker.
" Trunks, it's seemingly impossible. You'd only be wasting your time, time that could be put to good use, like making yourself stronger. I am incapable of becoming a Super Saiyan." Trunks gave her a slightly disappointed frown in response.
" And why not? Is there a reason, like a sickness?"
" No, nothing like that." She said bluntly. He just shook his head in frustration.
" Then why? Serina, I have known you for a while now, do you not trust me?"
She gave him a rather surprised look. Not trust him? Had there ever been a doubt in her mind that she had faith in him? He always believed in her, and she appreciated it, but how could she show him that?
" I do trust you, Trunks, more that you could possibly know." She pleaded.
" Then please trust me now." He said quietly, " Why won't you tell me?
His intense gaze rested on her for a long moment. He was trapping her in a corner. All those years of holding in her insecurities were finally taking its toll. Why was she, out of all her 18 years of living, falling apart now? The wall was dangerously close to breaking down. She answered him hesitantly.
" I-I just, I . . ." she opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. She looked in his unfaltering eyes and began to shake. She realized that she couldn't find the answer.
Serina, feeling much heavier with all the new pressure, sank to the ground. She felt for the first time in years the desperate need to cry. A wave of unhappy memories beat down against her as she thought of Gohan, his dead body flashed against her closed eyelids.
Trunks knelt down beside her, placing a comforting hand on her back. He lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes again. His breath caught when he saw a look he never expected to find in Serina's deep blue orbs.
Extreme sorrow.
Trunks didn't know what to say. Serina was normally happy, a beautiful smile could most always be seen on her face. But now . . . Trunks didn't know how to handle it. This was such a contrast to how she was just a while ago. But he had to do something, she was always there to listen to him, so he wanted to show her that he could be there for her, too.
" Listen to me," he said sweetly, almost in a whispering voice, " I know you're scared. Having to dig deep inside yourself is painful. It's hard . . ." he shuddered slightly, " I know you can do it, though. It's all you need to get that push to go Super Saiyan. Emotion is the true way to get there. You're physically able to do it, and you know it. But that's not the case, is it?"
Serina blinked furiously, trying desperately trying to hold back the onslaught of tears threatening to rip out at any second. She didn't speak. She couldn't. What would she say? She knew Trunks was right, but she didn't want to hear what she knew he was going to tell her.
" You're afraid to let your emotions out. If you let them loose, they'll bring back all the pain of loosing Gohan. Do you remember the truth about his death?"
" Stop it," she said, her voice breaking, " Please, I can't take much more of this."
" You can't move on unless you embrace everything, even the bad parts of life," he continued, ignoring her request, " Gohan is apart of it, no matter what you say."
They were silent for a moment. The only noise was that of the leaves rustling on the ground, the winds making them swirl in tornado like formations.
" I'm just so afraid of everything falling apart again." She said at last. His eyes softened.
" I know you are, and so am I. But you can't let that take away your ability to keep fighting. Not when you still have the future to hope for."
" But I can't go through his loss again, not after finding out that what I thought I witnessed was a lie." She said.
So she did remember.
" Serina, when I look at you, I can see him. It hurts me to think of him too."
Her eyes widened for a moment, looking hurt. She shook her head, looking as though her eyes were made out of glass, glossed by the unshed tears she refused to let free.
" Then why do you continue to see me?" she asked in a distant, pained voice.
" I don't think anything, not even those memories, could keep me away from you." He told her softly. She stared at him for a moment in disbelief. She tried desperately to gulp back the tears.
" I lost him too," Trunks continued, " I know how painful it can be. There's so many things that I have regretted, but I can't do a thing about them now. We couldn't have saved him."
" I could have!" Serina jumped up, suddenly bursting with emotion," I should have tried! I could've done something, damn it! I grew up thinking that it couldn't have been prevented, but now . . ."
" Serina, do you know what happened?" he asked intently. She looked at him with surprise.
" You haven't had any of your memories come back yet?" she asked. He shrugged.
" Yes and no. I have most of them come in dreams, nightmares really. It doesn't seem real most of the time, I don't know what to believe."
" Of course not, it's not what you grew up to think." She replied hastily, " Do you not remember any thing?"
" Most of it, yes," he exclaimed with a frown, " some parts are fuzzy."
" I guess I'm a little ahead of you then."
He hesitated. Did he want to ask her about his death so soon? He couldn't take not knowing the whole truth. He gulped with apprehension.
" Could you tell me?" he asked desperately. Serina looked in his face. He really wanted to know.
" All right, you deserve the truth." She said quietly, " You were there with me after all . . .Gohan had just lost his arm fighting the androids a few months before, and he said that he had to go and fight them. People were dieing, he had too . . ."
As Serina began her story, the memory began to filter into his head. It was as if it were a movie playing at a theatre. He could faintly hear Gohan's voice as two children fought with him stubbornly.
*******
The young man known as Son Gohan stood before Trunks Briefs and his sister, Serina, who were both coming up with reasons for him not to go. They stood on a cliff that overlooked the city that was being attacked. He rubbed his face with a mixture of fatigue and frustration. These two weren't going to give up.
" Look, do you know how many people are in that city praying for a miracle?" he yelled impatiently, " I can do something about this, they need my help."
" Then let us come with you!" Serina screamed, " You can't do this alone. You don't have much of a chance with out your arm!" Gohan looked to his left side, where his once strong-arm use to be. He touched his shoulder for a moment, still not feeling quite as confident as he use to be with his left limb.
" Much of a chance is better than none at all." He countered softly.
" Gohan," it was Trunks speaking this time, " Use your head! If you have both of us there, we'd be equal to your arm at least double."
" Don't flatter yourself." Gohan told them sarcastically, " I can't have you there. You're easy targets. I can't have you go." He said a note of finality in his voice, " I'm wasting time, I can't stay here any longer. Don't you guys follow."
The children both looked at him stubbornly, preparing themselves to take off when he did. Gohan shock his head, he really didn't want to do this. But they left him with no choice.
" Ok," he said, " But as soon as things get over your heads, you leave right away."
The kids looked at him with disbelief. Was he serious?
" All right, Gohan!" Trunks yelled.
" I knew you'd see it our way." Serina said with a laugh.
" Ok guys, get ready." Gohan told them as they stepped out in front of him.
" And guys?" he said, the pair turning to look at him, Gohan gave them a sad look, " I'm sorry." He said before hitting them both in puncture spots on the back of their heads, knocking them out. He placed them side-by- side, getting one last look. His eyes rested on his little sister. He bent down, brushing a lock of hair away from her sweet face.
" I'll miss you Serina." He told her quietly, knowing that this was the last time he'd ever see her, " You have helped me through so much already, but who will be there to protect you?"
He turned to see a protective arm around Serina. Trunks, though unconscious, was protecting one of his best friends.
" You take care of her, Trunks," he said as if he could hear, " You are all she has left now."
Gohan let a tear streak down his handsome face, falling to the ground with a small thud. He ruffled Trunks' hair and gave Serina a small kiss on the cheek. He had to go. He took off the cliff, looking behind him one more time before speeding up.
********
Gohan was being pummeled. Both androids were giving him hell, throwing him into buildings and abandoned cars. It wasn't fair . . . it was a fight two to one. Gohan didn't have a hope against winning.
But he couldn't give up. He had to keep fighting, no matter what, Serina and Trunks were counting on him. If he could destroy just one. . . maybe that would be enough, the kids could handle whoever was left after this fight. He had to protect his loved ones, even if it meant that he'd die in the process. He would never stop fighting, as long as he could still do *something.
The androids had cornered him in a secluded area. Gohan knew there was no hope for him anymore. He hung his head for a moment, cursing the day he lost his arm. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking, ' Serina, Trunks. . . I failed you. I couldn't do this one last thing. I'm sorry. . .'
Just as this thought left his mind, Gohan began to see something. It was only a thought, but it began to mold into a form, and somehow he knew it was possible. He saw Trunks as an older boy, no, a man, a Super Saiyan, defeating the androids with little effort. The angered faces before they were blown up were enough for Gohan. The future might be bleak, but there was hope still, a savior would come soon. ' Trunks,' he thought, ' I knew that you'd become a Super Saiyan. I knew you'd get there. And Serina, you'll be even greater than us all. Just unleash you power.' Gohan smirked. It wouldn't be fair to not let the androids know their fate. He might as well tell them.
" What are you smirking at, boy?" android 17 asked with an arrogant voice. ( I really don't feel like typing out the whole of the androids names, I'd probably misspell it.)
" You're going to die today, I don't see how you could be happy," android 18 said with an equal level of arrogance, " there shouldn't be anything to smirk about."
" Yes," her brother replied to her notion, " With out you, we can move on and do what we want."
" What are you going to do?" Gohan asked, " You have nothing but destruction and anger. Most creatures have a meaning, but you . . . you have no purpose."
The androids gave him an angry glare.
" What do *you know, you're practically dead." the black haired one spat, " Once we take care of you, there will be no one left to stop us."
" You're wrong," Gohan said, " There will always be another to take my place. There is no end to good."
" Chh, that's what you think." The blond one exclaimed as they began to fight again.
However, little did Gohan know that Serina and Trunks were awake and watching his every move at this point.
******
" What do we do Trunks?" Serina asked in a panicked voice. She lay on the ground several hundred feet away from the fight, hiding behind some brush along with Trunks, watching as her brother was over there babbling about how there was going to someone to replace him. She didn't want a replacement, she wanted her brother! Trunks turned to her to reply.
" I don't know Serina, that ass lied to us and knocked us out--"
" Trunks!!!" Serina interrupted, referring to his language.
"--and leaves us to go fight the two strongest thingies in the world! What was he thinking? That stupid dumb-butt-head-jerk!" he cried out. Serina rubbed the sore part of her neck, thinking somewhere on the same lines. Why would he knock her out?
" Maybe if we go over there we can attack from behind." She prompted
"It's the only thing we got, so let's run with it."
" Ok." She said. Trunks and Serina began to crawl slowly over to the fighting area, both working out ways to help.
******
The androids pushed Gohan into a building roughly, then let him fall to the ground.
" After all these years, we're almost free of you." Android 18 exclaimed.
" You don't understand, there is no end for us . . .no end!" Gohan yelled out.
" We'll see about that." Android 17 said sarcastically, and the two planned their last blow, preparing to go for it.
" HEY!!!" a young voice was heard above the fighting. The androids turned to see who it was, but their faces were met by two pairs of feet. The androids skid across the debris-covered street. They looked up and saw two-children?
" Ahh, what the hell?" Android 17 said, " What with the kids? Your back up cavalry?" Gohan seemed as surprised as they did.
" What are you two doing here?" he screamed at them, " You have to stay alive, you're the future! Get away from here!"
" No way, Gohan." Trunks yelled back as they suspended I mid air," You're in trouble, and we have to help you."
" Why are you being so stubborn?" Serina supported Trunks as they got closer.
Gohan stood up wobbly, preparing to fight again.
" Gohan, what do you think you're doing?" Serina cried out. The older boy turned to see his sister land with Trunks as well.
" I told you to go home." said Gohan hoarsely. He was injured almost to the point of collapsing. Not having an arm didn't help things, either.
" You think we're going to let you do this alone?" Trunks screamed.
" Leave you two. Now." Gohan gave them a stern look, " I said MOVE!"
" No," said Serina, who had tears leaking out, " We're going to help you."
The androids looked on with amusement.
" I'd hate to break this love fest up," the dark haired one said, " But I really don't think we have the time. And I'm so tired of fighting blondy over there," he nodded his head toward Gohan, who was super-saiyan at the moment, " Aren't we sis?"
" Oh yes," the blond one said coldly, " I think it's time we end this."
The two androids turned to attack the children, knocking them about everywhere.
" NO!!!" Gohan screamed as he charged at them. He fought with the androids for a moment, long enough for the kids to get up. They only had a couple bruises and scrapes. They weren't hurt badly, not yet at least.
They threw Gohan down on the ground and prepared themselves. He had no energy left, the children weren't that far behind. This fight was over. Gohan turned to look at Trunks holding his little sister up.
" Trunks," he called out, " Take care of her. I love you guys."
Their eyes widened with realization, and Gohan turned to face death head on.
" Bye-bye, blondy." Android 17 said harshly, and they let an onslaught of energy attacks down on him.
" GOHAN!!!" Serina screamed as she tried to go to him, but Trunks held her back, remembering what Gohan said.
" No, it's too late. We can't help him anymore . . .we can't . . . we can't help . . ." he said as hot tears spilled down his cheeks
The last blast was sent and the androids looked at the scene with slight enjoyment.
" Well," Android 17 said, " It's best we leave. I hate it when children cry."
" Shouldn't we finish them off?" Android 18 asked in surprise. He just looked down at the pair holding each other.
" No, I'm rather bored. Lets go." She shrugged in response and followed him towards the west, as the final words of the mighty warrior Gohan plagued their minds.
Serina held tightly on to Trunks, rubbing her face into his shirt, feeling as if her heart torn to pieces. She sobbed as he tried to calm her, though he was crying just as hard.
The dust began to clear and the pair turned to see. Gohan's dead body lay just a hundred feet or so away.
" I want to see him." Serina said quietly, trying to walk over, but Trunks' strong grip held fast.
" Let go." She told him, her voice lacking emotion.
" No, it'll only make things worse." He retorted. She gave him a sorrowful look, " That is . . .don't go alone. I'll go with you."
She looked at him with shock, feeling a little warmth through her body at his kindness
" Thank you." She choked out. Trunks held his friends hand as they began to walk over.
(I'd like to remind you that he is seven, she is six, there's nothing
romantic about holding hands yet.)
It began to rain as they made their way over to Gohan. It doused them as Trunks began to think, ' Gohan, you were everything to me. Why'd you do it? Why'd you leave us?'
They stopped about a foot away from Gohan. Water had started to collect around Gohan's body, creating a puddle of slightly pink water. Serina dropped to her knees and clenched the ground.
" Gohan . . ." she cried as she grabbed him into a hug. She cradled him as Trunks sat beside her.
' This isn't fair . . .' she thought, ' This just isn't fair!'
The pair sat like that for an hour, until trunks thought it was time to go.
" Serina, we have to go back to my house. We . . . we need to get Gohan to a better place."
Serina faced Trunks, deep blue eyes stricken with grief. She nodded her head in response and helped pick Gohan up. He wasn't heavy, but he was rather big in proportion to their smaller bodies. They began their long way back to Capsule Corp.
******
" Trunks!" Bulma, Trunks' mother called out, " What happened?" She looked at Serina, who held Gohan.
" No . . .Gohan." she knelt beside Serina, placing a hand on the warriors face. She covered her mouth and let out a muffled sob. She turned to Serina and pulled her in a hug.
" B-B-Bulma, make the pain go away." Serina called out as she sobbed onto her. Bulma heard a noise come from behind her. She turned to see her son trying to hold back tears. She gathered him into a hug as well and held the children in her arms as they leached onto her.
" Make the pain go away." Serina exclaimed again. Bulma looked up, praying to the God above the Earth for an answer.
Suddenly it came to her. Her prototype, the one she had been working on for months, the memory modifier, she could use it to reduce their pain some how. If she didn't act fast, the things the pair witnessed would crush them eventually. As if they weren't abnormal enough already, now they had witnessed a brutal murder. She had to make them forget certain things to keep them from going insane. They weren't even eight yet. There was no choice in the matter. She would change their memories to make them forget. Not to forget Gohan or how and why he died, but to help prevent physiological problems from happening. She would modify their childhoods to help them move on.
" Don't worry guys, I can't make it go away, but I can help." She told them. The only problem, however . . .
She looked down at the children on her lap. Being the genius that she is, she figured that after the modification they wouldn't remember each other after all the pain the endured together. Was she willing to take their friendship away?
'No,' she thought, ' It won't take it away, it'll only put their memories of each other in hiding. The memory chip was only designed to last about ten years, something will spark their memories . . . they will remember.'
" Come on guys, let's call Master Roshi."
**************************************************************************** *******************
" It's my fault," Serina sniffed as she looked Trunks in the eyes, her face scrunching in the effort not to cry," It's my fault he died . . .all my fault . . ." Trunks' brows knitted as his own eyes began to water a little. He looked at her as she tried desperately not to unleash her emotions. What could he do to help her?
He did the only thing he could do. He pulled her into his arms and gave her an affectionate hug. Serina, not expecting this, sat for a moment in shock. Soon, however, she pulled her arms around his neck and began to cry.
Serina cried painfully on Trunks, who in return held onto her comfortingly. He remembered everything. The day Gohan died, the promises his mother gave them, the promise to make them forget some of their pain. The modifier helped for a while, but now . . . now what were they suppose to do? True, they were much older and much more mature, but what good was it? It didn't help them now. It didn't help Serina . . .
Trunks could almost feel her sobs cut through him, the pain shaking her to the very deepest parts of herself. She was keeping this to herself ever since the day they found the truth of their pasts . . .Hidden pasts. And what did she think of this?
' She thinks it's her fault.' He thought as he rubbed her head, bringing her closer. It wasn't her fault at all. Gohan knew what he was doing the whole time, he knew that he was going to die.
" Serina," breathed Trunks, " How can this be your fault? Not even you can control everything." He exclaimed, trying to make light of the situation. She only cried harder in response.
" It doesn't mean that I couldn't have tried." Her muffled voice called out. Trunks sighed, rubbing her back in little circles.
" He fought not for himself, but for you." He told her softly. She lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked at him wide eyed.
" Serina, he knew that someday you'd be a great warrior. He knew you'd be greater them him, better than this. He loved you, and he still does."
" It's so hard," she sniffed, " it's hard to keep it in. The pain feels like it's poisoning my body. I can't always keep it locked away."
" You don't have to." He said softly, " You're forgetting one thing. You have me now, don't be afraid to let me in every once in a while, ok?" She smiled slightly at his remark.
" Trunks, you mean so much to me, I can't dump all my emotions on you, it's selfish and I bet it gets extremely annoying having some girl complaining about everything--"
" No, you're not understanding," he interrupted, " No matter what happens I'll be there for you. If you feel like you have too much on your shoulders, please let me be the one to take some of the burden away. I will be there to catch you when you fall, and I would do anything for you, remember that."
Serina stared at him for a moment, stumbling on her words. How could she respond to something so beautiful? All she could do was envelope him into another tighter, more loving embrace.
" Thank you." She choked out as he rocked her back and forth. They stayed like that for a while more, Serina enjoying the steady rhythm of Trunks' heart, feeling as if it was the only thing that was keeping her from going insane.
" Trunks, I'm ok." Serina said at last, breaking their hug and standing up, " I'm ready to start again."
" What?" he asked in a disbelieving voice, " I don't believe it. All right, if you want, let's go." He had a glint in his eye as he took a stance.
" This time, you're going down." Serina mused He rose a brow in question and she only smirked back.
" We'll have to see about that." He said, and they began their assault on each other again. **************************************************************************** ********************
The next day, Serina and Trunks woke up, finding that they were still on the island. They were curled up with each other, the morning effect causing them to be a little groggy. Soon, however, their senses kicked in and they sat up with a great amount of energy.
" He, he, hi Trunks." Serina said as she let go of Trunks, her cheeks burning a light crimson.
" Morning." He said, his voice cracking as it usually does when he becomes nervous, " *Yawn, what time is it?"
" Judging by the sun, it's about five." she replied, " We must have been up past three."
" Yeah. Great first session, huh?" he asked, scratching his head.
" Oh yeah, I can defiantly feel it everywhere." She responded as she rubbed her but.
" I think it's from sleeping on the ground." They stayed in peaceful silence for a moment, blinking sleep away from their eyes.
" I miss this." Serina said out of the blue.
" Miss what? Training?" he asked. She shrugged.
" That and camping out. I use to do it all the time . . .with you . . .I always wondered why camping always made me feel so safe. I guess I know why now." She said as Trunks' ears burned.
" I guess . . ." she continued, " I guess that it was a way of missing you without knowing it."
" I know the feeling. Remember how we use to drink out of the same bottle of Pepsi while watching movies?" he asked and she nodded, " When I did that alone, I . . .felt something, I felt that something was missing. I realize that it was you. Now your back and . . ."
" . . .Everything's complete." She finished, " You're my friend, and I'm glad you're here."
' Friend . . .' Trunks thought as his heart sank, ' Why does it sadden me when she refers to me as a "friend"? I'm so stupid!'
" Come on," Trunks said, " We better be heading back. It's getting light, and I don't think we can pull of flying without getting noticed."
" All right," she said, " I'll race you!" He smirked.
" You're on." And they took off, speeding away from the island.
Trunks won by a mile.
This chapter isn't as long as I hoped it would be, but it's ok. I finally updated. I want to thank all the people who reviewed, especially Trisha, who reviewed like five times. You're awesome, and I wanna know if you write fics yourself. Well, I'll try to update soon. C ya!
Training Begins and the Past Revealed
Over the next week, Serina and Trunks couldn't concentrate on anything. Serina's mind was plagued by the painful imagery. She couldn't wipe the image of the premonition from her mind. It haunted her while she was working on school, dance, thinking, she couldn't even sleep without seeing Cells face looming out of the dark. Trunks, however, was thinking of something quite different.
A few days after finding out that Serina was a Sayain and having most of his questions about the mysterious girl finally answered, Trunks shut himself in his dorm. He was thinking, thinking about Serina-again. He paced back and forth over and over again, not knowing what to do or think.
' *Sigh,' he thought, 'I can't remember what happened then, but I'm sure that Serina and I trained together. I haven't trained with a girl since then; I don't know how I should take this. Should I go easy on her so I won't hurt her?' He thought for a moment, and then shook the thought away.
' No,' he told himself, ' She'd kill me if I went even the slightest bit less then what I'm able to. She's strong, and she can take most anything. I think with a few weeks of training, I can get her up to where I want her to be. But . . . how do I train with her? I'm unsure of how I should do this . . . and it's not the reason that I'd expect it to be. I'm worried that I might hurt her, of course, but that's not it. The worst thing is, the most horrible, inconvenient problem that could happen right now. . . he sat down with frustration, taking his head in his hands and took in a shaky breath, not wanting to admit what he needed to tell himself. If he said it aloud, it would be final, no taking it back. Thinking on that notion, the truth hit him hard.
" I like her." He said softly, " How can I train her if I'm worried about what could happen to her? I have to protect her no matter what. But I don't think it's just liking her anymore. I think it's leaning more toward-- "
Suddenly, Trunks heard a knock from his door. Serina poked her smiling face in his dorm, looking quite pleased to find him still there.
" Hi." She said as she came to sit down in the plushy chair next to him.
" What are you doing here so late?" he asked in mock surprise, " I know how much you hate to break curfew."
She made a face and continued, " What are you doing?" she asked.
" Just thinking about what to do for the training session, that's all. Why do you ask?" he questioned as he placed his feet in her lap. She gave a disapproving glare but made no effort to move them.
" You look a little concerned." She said simply. He just shook his head.
" We'll, I have a good reason to be a little concerned, but it's nothing. So what's up?" he said as she looked up. She gazed at him for a moment, not blinking or moving as if she were looking for something on his face, something that would help her. She quickly snapped out of it and blushed lightly, looking to his feet once more.
" I just wanted to know when we were starting the training, and stuff." She replied shyly, sounding as if it wasn't what she was originally going to say. Trunks thought that she was acting a little weird. She was hardly ever shy with him. She was thinking of something, but he decided not to worry about it.
" Well, I have band practice tonight in a half hour or so, how bout tomorrow?" he asked. She nodded in approval.
" That sounds good to me. I have a meeting tonight with my professor. I have to compose a piece for a grade, and then teach it to high school students. I also have to play with them to show my skills." She replied in an exasperated tone. He raised a brow.
" Compose a piece? What instruments do you play, anyways?"
" Plenty." She said smoothly, " I play violin, sax, some guitar, a little bass, piano, clarinet--"
" Ok, forget I asked." He replied, his eyes wide with surprise, " I had no idea you played all of those. God, are you some kind of freak?"
" I like to have a lot on my head, is that so bad?" she asked pleasantly as she messed with his toes, " So, tomorrow around eleven-ish?"
" That sounds good to me." He said back. She pushed his feet off her lap with an "oomph" and stood up to exit.
" I'll see you tomorrow then. Good luck with practice." And with that she kissed him on the cheek. He stood speechless for a moment before responding back.
" And you with you're a-a-a meeting thing." He stuttered helplessly. She giggled and said bye before leaving the red Trunks.
As soon as she left, he hit his head with his hand and began ranting," Why do I act so stupid? GOD! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid . . ." he said as he hit his head softly against the wall. After a few minutes, a crack snaked its way up the wall, sparking little spindles at the end.
As he was in mid bump, an idea popped into his head. A song? It was just a melody at first, but then the song began to take form, words attaching soon after. He reached for a pencil and paper and sat down to write the be comings of a song. After twenty minutes or so of pouring his heart onto the paper, he realized he was late for practice. He hurried out, leaving the song there.
The next night after discussing where they'd meet on the island, the pair took off for the trip. A million questions popped into Serina's head as they flew over the crystal like water of OSU. She was dying to ask Trunks if he remembered anything else.
Sometimes, late at night, Serina would wake up from a feverish dream, screaming out Gohan's name. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall much at all. She'd cover her eyes, pretending that she was asleep so the image would play for her again. But it was all for naught. She would cry out in frustration every time.
But lately, the day that Gohan had died, along with many other things, had been becoming more and more clearer. Gohan's death was in her head, but she wasn't willing to except the truth quite yet. She grew up believing something different, it's hard to change. She looked at Trunks again, wondering if he was thinking the same things she was.
All the questions remained unanswered, however, when she saw how calm Trunks looked. He was quite somber as they touched down on the soil of the island, landing in the exact same spot Serina was at last time. He would have questions as well, but he was keeping it inside of him, so she would too.
" Well, this looks like a good place to start. It's a good area. Lots of trees, though." Said Trunks, who was surveying it closely for the first real time. There was plenty of space, except the few trees that strayed from the rest of the woods.
" Yeah," she said back, " There's a lake over there too, if you want water or a bath, because I know you get smelly sometimes." She smirked at him, but he only smirked back.
" Would we share bath time? I mean, I get really lonely, and you could be my bath buddy. I bet you that you need someone to scrub your back, and I know I need someone to reach those trouble spots." He replied as she turned bright red.
" I don't think so, you pervert. Any who, do we get to start now?" she asked eagerly. He smirked with amusement.
" Ah, yes young grasshopper, I think we shall start with a warm up." He replied
" What type of warm up, *master," she said sarcastically, " stretching or whatever?"
" Not that type of warm up." He told her, " Get ready."
" For wha--" she started, but was cut off by Trunks hurtling two bright yellow energy balls in her direction.
" GAGHHH!!!" she let out as she dodged the first one by doing the splits in the air, the second missing her head by inches.
" That kind of warm up." Trunks finished, " Isn't it great!"
" Great," she let out in a low growl, " just great." And before she could go and kill him, Trunks sent another five her way.
" Unbelievable!" she cried out as she dodged the first two, " I can't believe this guy. Whoa!" she dodged a third one from behind, " I'm gonna kick his a--" and she flipped over the forth, then immediately turning to blow up the last blast with her own. She swiveled to face Trunks. She marched to him; shear anger displayed on her face.
" I'm going to KILL you, you evil, psychotic son of a --"
" Whoa there, Serina," he said, fear evident in his voice, " calm down. It was just a test to see how well you do with more than one thing coming at you. Obviously the exercise was mediocre, but how was I suppose to know that you were so far already?"
" You want me to--to calm . . . calm *down?" she said, almost in hysterics, " How can I calm down with the-the whoosh, and the AGGH, and the- the," she screamed while throwing her arms around wildly. Trunks quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and gave an apologetic look.
" I'm sorry! I had no idea you would react like this, relax ok?" he exclaimed in a pleading voice. She quickly calmed herself.
" A little warning or hint might be a good thing for you if you want to make it through these training sessions." She said quietly, " It's not the fact that I can't defend myself against those typed of things, I just haven't had a real head to head combat with anyone in a while. The element of surprise might be a little iffy right now"
" From what I saw, it didn't look that way." He replied, " That was some quick work there. I have to admit, you're speed is . . . rather impressive."
" It's nothing to wow about." She said modestly, " Mine's nothing compared to yours."
" I wouldn't say that." He responded.
" I would." She said with a note of finality in her voice, but continued on with a sense of un-sureness, " I just feel like I don't have enough in me to reach where you are now. I feel . . . weak."
Trunks snorted in reply, " You think you're not strong compared to me? Come now Serina, don't put yourself down. I think you may be a little confused. How about we start sparing and I'll show you how " weak" you are."
Trunks began to power up, which only lessened Serina's spirit even more.
" I don't know what you're thinking, but powering up isn't going to help." She told him but powered up as well.
Suddenly, both charged forward, their impact was like throwing two boulders at each other. The fight had begun.
Serina punched and blocked and did whatever she possibly could to fight back Trunks' obviously stronger abilities. Serina was having fun, but she did not like to lose. He knew of this and gave her a slightly arrogant smirk.
" You're ENJOYING this?" she bellowed over the clash of their fists.
He thought for a moment. Actually he was enjoying their session a lot. It had been a while since he had a really good spar with someone, and Serina was easy to anger. Oh yes, he was going to have a lot of fun this year . . . .
" Of course I am," he yelled back, determined to get her to fight at her best level, " You're just upset because you're going to lose."
" You think so?" she asked back. She had to keep her cool. She was easy to manipulate when she was angry.
" Oh, yes. In fact, I bet you that Jake could probably take you down."
" Yeah, if he tripped on me." She replied coolly.
" Well, I bet you that I'll win this fight." He told her as she ducked from a punch.
" Don't flatter yourself." She told him, Trunks recalling that Gohan would say that phrase when Trunks got too confident, " What are you going to bet?" she asked, almost afraid to hear his answer.
" If I win, you have to . . . do my laundry for a week."
" Oh my god Trunks, that was so lame." She replied.
" You didn't let me finish. Jake and I do each other's laundry, his goes in there too."
Serina let out a scream, nearly falling out of the sky.
" Underwear too?" she coughed. He nodded his head, " If I do that, then you have to agree that if I win you have to do my laundry too, and clean my dorm."
" That's not fair!" he cried out.
" It includes my underwear too."
Trunks choked, allowing Serina several punches while his guard was down. This wasn't going to turn out pretty.
" A-are you serious?" he stuttered fearfully, " *your underwear? Um . . .are you sure you want me, a male, to be handling your underwear?"
" Yep. If I have to do yours, you have to do mine. It's only fair." She replied in a singsong voice.
They stopped fighting for a moment, pausing only to think. This wasn't a good situation to be in. But if either of them backed down, it would show the other that they were . . .well, chicken. And what a horrible prospect that would be. Yep, it was the battle of the stubborn demi Saiyans. Who would win?
" Alright," said Trunks at last, " I accept your conditions. But it was a very hard decision." he sniffed.
" Funny, I never thought you a conservative person." Mused Serina as she darted at him again. They began their fight again. The two fought fiercely for a long while. Trunks punched Serina hard in the face. She flung helplessly toward the trees, but forcing herself to stop. Trunks, though not his best, was astonished.
" Not so easy Trunks." She called out, " I might not be as good as you, but I can still kick your ass."
" I don't doubt that!" he said shrilly, " I was just trying to provoke you a little, that's all. You're a little slow with you're dashing, though."
" I guess I'll work on that." She said as they powered up and went at it again.
An hour flew by quickly, and neither showed signs of giving up. Trunks, of course, hand the upper hand, but Serina was determined. She fought hard against him, but as much as she tried she couldn't find anything wrong in Trunks' elite fighting style. It was as if he was perfect.
After the millionth time that night, Trunks kicked Serina hurtled across the trees. She was kicked so hard that she couldn't force herself to stop. She hit a tree and it snapped on impact. ' Wonderful, Trunks.' She thought sarcastically, then looked behind her at the poor tree, which was scattered beyond help.
'Just wonderful.'
Serina sat up and rubbed her back painfully. She looked up at Trunks, who was lowering himself to the ground. He looked like a small child who knew he did something wrong.
" Hey!" she yelled at him, " That really hurt! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow . . ." she said continuously as Trunks walked closer to her .
" Serina?" he questioned as she gave him a look, " I know this is probably really going to sound dumb, but I'm really sorry."
Serina breathed hard, Trunks was no easy sparring partner. He held out his hand and she took it. He pulled her to her feet. Trunks brought her close and inspected her face, turning it to the side and back again with his hand.
" You ok?" he asked softly, as if she was a bomb and would explode if he did anything slowly, " You have some scrapes on your face. They don't look bad, there's not much blood or anything." She could feel his breath on her skin. The sensation was . . . rather nice. It was kind of comforting in a way. It was warm and smelled of hot pockets.
Hot pockets?
'Ok,' she thought, ' if I can smell what he ate before he came here, I think I'm a little too close. But . . . it smells kinda good . . . " Serina?" he asked again, and she snapped out of it.
" Yeah, I'm good. Just try not to aim me at trees anymore, ok?" she asked as he laughed.
" How about we call it a day?" he told her as he let her go, though she didn't move very far. She gave him a confused look.
" What? That's it? Trunks, I have so much to learn!" she replied worriedly.
" Don't worry about it. I have plans for you." He said coolly.
" What do you mean, "plans"?" she said, cocking a perfectly arched eyebrow.
" You just need a little time to work up to the status that I want you to reach."
" And what exactly is that?"
Trunks shrugged a little, looking to the ground for a moment.
" Well, Super Saiyan of course." He exclaimed after a while.
" What?!?" she screamed, falling over dramatically.
" Is it really that hard to believe?" he asked her as she got back up.
She brushed herself off and looked into his face intently as she replied, " You really think I could do it?"
" Yes, I do. But what's more important is that *you believe you can do it."
She looked away from him. How could he be so sure of her when she wasn't even sure she could do it herself? It wasn't like she hadn't tried. There had been countless times that she stood on Kami Island, powering up to her full strength. She thought of unhappy memories, of losses she had in her life, plenty of things that should've sparked *something. But it was as if there was a barrier preventing her from reaching her goal. So many times she had been close, but never close enough. It was hopeless. There was never even a slight flicker.
" Trunks, it's seemingly impossible. You'd only be wasting your time, time that could be put to good use, like making yourself stronger. I am incapable of becoming a Super Saiyan." Trunks gave her a slightly disappointed frown in response.
" And why not? Is there a reason, like a sickness?"
" No, nothing like that." She said bluntly. He just shook his head in frustration.
" Then why? Serina, I have known you for a while now, do you not trust me?"
She gave him a rather surprised look. Not trust him? Had there ever been a doubt in her mind that she had faith in him? He always believed in her, and she appreciated it, but how could she show him that?
" I do trust you, Trunks, more that you could possibly know." She pleaded.
" Then please trust me now." He said quietly, " Why won't you tell me?
His intense gaze rested on her for a long moment. He was trapping her in a corner. All those years of holding in her insecurities were finally taking its toll. Why was she, out of all her 18 years of living, falling apart now? The wall was dangerously close to breaking down. She answered him hesitantly.
" I-I just, I . . ." she opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. She looked in his unfaltering eyes and began to shake. She realized that she couldn't find the answer.
Serina, feeling much heavier with all the new pressure, sank to the ground. She felt for the first time in years the desperate need to cry. A wave of unhappy memories beat down against her as she thought of Gohan, his dead body flashed against her closed eyelids.
Trunks knelt down beside her, placing a comforting hand on her back. He lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes again. His breath caught when he saw a look he never expected to find in Serina's deep blue orbs.
Extreme sorrow.
Trunks didn't know what to say. Serina was normally happy, a beautiful smile could most always be seen on her face. But now . . . Trunks didn't know how to handle it. This was such a contrast to how she was just a while ago. But he had to do something, she was always there to listen to him, so he wanted to show her that he could be there for her, too.
" Listen to me," he said sweetly, almost in a whispering voice, " I know you're scared. Having to dig deep inside yourself is painful. It's hard . . ." he shuddered slightly, " I know you can do it, though. It's all you need to get that push to go Super Saiyan. Emotion is the true way to get there. You're physically able to do it, and you know it. But that's not the case, is it?"
Serina blinked furiously, trying desperately trying to hold back the onslaught of tears threatening to rip out at any second. She didn't speak. She couldn't. What would she say? She knew Trunks was right, but she didn't want to hear what she knew he was going to tell her.
" You're afraid to let your emotions out. If you let them loose, they'll bring back all the pain of loosing Gohan. Do you remember the truth about his death?"
" Stop it," she said, her voice breaking, " Please, I can't take much more of this."
" You can't move on unless you embrace everything, even the bad parts of life," he continued, ignoring her request, " Gohan is apart of it, no matter what you say."
They were silent for a moment. The only noise was that of the leaves rustling on the ground, the winds making them swirl in tornado like formations.
" I'm just so afraid of everything falling apart again." She said at last. His eyes softened.
" I know you are, and so am I. But you can't let that take away your ability to keep fighting. Not when you still have the future to hope for."
" But I can't go through his loss again, not after finding out that what I thought I witnessed was a lie." She said.
So she did remember.
" Serina, when I look at you, I can see him. It hurts me to think of him too."
Her eyes widened for a moment, looking hurt. She shook her head, looking as though her eyes were made out of glass, glossed by the unshed tears she refused to let free.
" Then why do you continue to see me?" she asked in a distant, pained voice.
" I don't think anything, not even those memories, could keep me away from you." He told her softly. She stared at him for a moment in disbelief. She tried desperately to gulp back the tears.
" I lost him too," Trunks continued, " I know how painful it can be. There's so many things that I have regretted, but I can't do a thing about them now. We couldn't have saved him."
" I could have!" Serina jumped up, suddenly bursting with emotion," I should have tried! I could've done something, damn it! I grew up thinking that it couldn't have been prevented, but now . . ."
" Serina, do you know what happened?" he asked intently. She looked at him with surprise.
" You haven't had any of your memories come back yet?" she asked. He shrugged.
" Yes and no. I have most of them come in dreams, nightmares really. It doesn't seem real most of the time, I don't know what to believe."
" Of course not, it's not what you grew up to think." She replied hastily, " Do you not remember any thing?"
" Most of it, yes," he exclaimed with a frown, " some parts are fuzzy."
" I guess I'm a little ahead of you then."
He hesitated. Did he want to ask her about his death so soon? He couldn't take not knowing the whole truth. He gulped with apprehension.
" Could you tell me?" he asked desperately. Serina looked in his face. He really wanted to know.
" All right, you deserve the truth." She said quietly, " You were there with me after all . . .Gohan had just lost his arm fighting the androids a few months before, and he said that he had to go and fight them. People were dieing, he had too . . ."
As Serina began her story, the memory began to filter into his head. It was as if it were a movie playing at a theatre. He could faintly hear Gohan's voice as two children fought with him stubbornly.
*******
The young man known as Son Gohan stood before Trunks Briefs and his sister, Serina, who were both coming up with reasons for him not to go. They stood on a cliff that overlooked the city that was being attacked. He rubbed his face with a mixture of fatigue and frustration. These two weren't going to give up.
" Look, do you know how many people are in that city praying for a miracle?" he yelled impatiently, " I can do something about this, they need my help."
" Then let us come with you!" Serina screamed, " You can't do this alone. You don't have much of a chance with out your arm!" Gohan looked to his left side, where his once strong-arm use to be. He touched his shoulder for a moment, still not feeling quite as confident as he use to be with his left limb.
" Much of a chance is better than none at all." He countered softly.
" Gohan," it was Trunks speaking this time, " Use your head! If you have both of us there, we'd be equal to your arm at least double."
" Don't flatter yourself." Gohan told them sarcastically, " I can't have you there. You're easy targets. I can't have you go." He said a note of finality in his voice, " I'm wasting time, I can't stay here any longer. Don't you guys follow."
The children both looked at him stubbornly, preparing themselves to take off when he did. Gohan shock his head, he really didn't want to do this. But they left him with no choice.
" Ok," he said, " But as soon as things get over your heads, you leave right away."
The kids looked at him with disbelief. Was he serious?
" All right, Gohan!" Trunks yelled.
" I knew you'd see it our way." Serina said with a laugh.
" Ok guys, get ready." Gohan told them as they stepped out in front of him.
" And guys?" he said, the pair turning to look at him, Gohan gave them a sad look, " I'm sorry." He said before hitting them both in puncture spots on the back of their heads, knocking them out. He placed them side-by- side, getting one last look. His eyes rested on his little sister. He bent down, brushing a lock of hair away from her sweet face.
" I'll miss you Serina." He told her quietly, knowing that this was the last time he'd ever see her, " You have helped me through so much already, but who will be there to protect you?"
He turned to see a protective arm around Serina. Trunks, though unconscious, was protecting one of his best friends.
" You take care of her, Trunks," he said as if he could hear, " You are all she has left now."
Gohan let a tear streak down his handsome face, falling to the ground with a small thud. He ruffled Trunks' hair and gave Serina a small kiss on the cheek. He had to go. He took off the cliff, looking behind him one more time before speeding up.
********
Gohan was being pummeled. Both androids were giving him hell, throwing him into buildings and abandoned cars. It wasn't fair . . . it was a fight two to one. Gohan didn't have a hope against winning.
But he couldn't give up. He had to keep fighting, no matter what, Serina and Trunks were counting on him. If he could destroy just one. . . maybe that would be enough, the kids could handle whoever was left after this fight. He had to protect his loved ones, even if it meant that he'd die in the process. He would never stop fighting, as long as he could still do *something.
The androids had cornered him in a secluded area. Gohan knew there was no hope for him anymore. He hung his head for a moment, cursing the day he lost his arm. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking, ' Serina, Trunks. . . I failed you. I couldn't do this one last thing. I'm sorry. . .'
Just as this thought left his mind, Gohan began to see something. It was only a thought, but it began to mold into a form, and somehow he knew it was possible. He saw Trunks as an older boy, no, a man, a Super Saiyan, defeating the androids with little effort. The angered faces before they were blown up were enough for Gohan. The future might be bleak, but there was hope still, a savior would come soon. ' Trunks,' he thought, ' I knew that you'd become a Super Saiyan. I knew you'd get there. And Serina, you'll be even greater than us all. Just unleash you power.' Gohan smirked. It wouldn't be fair to not let the androids know their fate. He might as well tell them.
" What are you smirking at, boy?" android 17 asked with an arrogant voice. ( I really don't feel like typing out the whole of the androids names, I'd probably misspell it.)
" You're going to die today, I don't see how you could be happy," android 18 said with an equal level of arrogance, " there shouldn't be anything to smirk about."
" Yes," her brother replied to her notion, " With out you, we can move on and do what we want."
" What are you going to do?" Gohan asked, " You have nothing but destruction and anger. Most creatures have a meaning, but you . . . you have no purpose."
The androids gave him an angry glare.
" What do *you know, you're practically dead." the black haired one spat, " Once we take care of you, there will be no one left to stop us."
" You're wrong," Gohan said, " There will always be another to take my place. There is no end to good."
" Chh, that's what you think." The blond one exclaimed as they began to fight again.
However, little did Gohan know that Serina and Trunks were awake and watching his every move at this point.
******
" What do we do Trunks?" Serina asked in a panicked voice. She lay on the ground several hundred feet away from the fight, hiding behind some brush along with Trunks, watching as her brother was over there babbling about how there was going to someone to replace him. She didn't want a replacement, she wanted her brother! Trunks turned to her to reply.
" I don't know Serina, that ass lied to us and knocked us out--"
" Trunks!!!" Serina interrupted, referring to his language.
"--and leaves us to go fight the two strongest thingies in the world! What was he thinking? That stupid dumb-butt-head-jerk!" he cried out. Serina rubbed the sore part of her neck, thinking somewhere on the same lines. Why would he knock her out?
" Maybe if we go over there we can attack from behind." She prompted
"It's the only thing we got, so let's run with it."
" Ok." She said. Trunks and Serina began to crawl slowly over to the fighting area, both working out ways to help.
******
The androids pushed Gohan into a building roughly, then let him fall to the ground.
" After all these years, we're almost free of you." Android 18 exclaimed.
" You don't understand, there is no end for us . . .no end!" Gohan yelled out.
" We'll see about that." Android 17 said sarcastically, and the two planned their last blow, preparing to go for it.
" HEY!!!" a young voice was heard above the fighting. The androids turned to see who it was, but their faces were met by two pairs of feet. The androids skid across the debris-covered street. They looked up and saw two-children?
" Ahh, what the hell?" Android 17 said, " What with the kids? Your back up cavalry?" Gohan seemed as surprised as they did.
" What are you two doing here?" he screamed at them, " You have to stay alive, you're the future! Get away from here!"
" No way, Gohan." Trunks yelled back as they suspended I mid air," You're in trouble, and we have to help you."
" Why are you being so stubborn?" Serina supported Trunks as they got closer.
Gohan stood up wobbly, preparing to fight again.
" Gohan, what do you think you're doing?" Serina cried out. The older boy turned to see his sister land with Trunks as well.
" I told you to go home." said Gohan hoarsely. He was injured almost to the point of collapsing. Not having an arm didn't help things, either.
" You think we're going to let you do this alone?" Trunks screamed.
" Leave you two. Now." Gohan gave them a stern look, " I said MOVE!"
" No," said Serina, who had tears leaking out, " We're going to help you."
The androids looked on with amusement.
" I'd hate to break this love fest up," the dark haired one said, " But I really don't think we have the time. And I'm so tired of fighting blondy over there," he nodded his head toward Gohan, who was super-saiyan at the moment, " Aren't we sis?"
" Oh yes," the blond one said coldly, " I think it's time we end this."
The two androids turned to attack the children, knocking them about everywhere.
" NO!!!" Gohan screamed as he charged at them. He fought with the androids for a moment, long enough for the kids to get up. They only had a couple bruises and scrapes. They weren't hurt badly, not yet at least.
They threw Gohan down on the ground and prepared themselves. He had no energy left, the children weren't that far behind. This fight was over. Gohan turned to look at Trunks holding his little sister up.
" Trunks," he called out, " Take care of her. I love you guys."
Their eyes widened with realization, and Gohan turned to face death head on.
" Bye-bye, blondy." Android 17 said harshly, and they let an onslaught of energy attacks down on him.
" GOHAN!!!" Serina screamed as she tried to go to him, but Trunks held her back, remembering what Gohan said.
" No, it's too late. We can't help him anymore . . .we can't . . . we can't help . . ." he said as hot tears spilled down his cheeks
The last blast was sent and the androids looked at the scene with slight enjoyment.
" Well," Android 17 said, " It's best we leave. I hate it when children cry."
" Shouldn't we finish them off?" Android 18 asked in surprise. He just looked down at the pair holding each other.
" No, I'm rather bored. Lets go." She shrugged in response and followed him towards the west, as the final words of the mighty warrior Gohan plagued their minds.
Serina held tightly on to Trunks, rubbing her face into his shirt, feeling as if her heart torn to pieces. She sobbed as he tried to calm her, though he was crying just as hard.
The dust began to clear and the pair turned to see. Gohan's dead body lay just a hundred feet or so away.
" I want to see him." Serina said quietly, trying to walk over, but Trunks' strong grip held fast.
" Let go." She told him, her voice lacking emotion.
" No, it'll only make things worse." He retorted. She gave him a sorrowful look, " That is . . .don't go alone. I'll go with you."
She looked at him with shock, feeling a little warmth through her body at his kindness
" Thank you." She choked out. Trunks held his friends hand as they began to walk over.
(I'd like to remind you that he is seven, she is six, there's nothing
romantic about holding hands yet.)
It began to rain as they made their way over to Gohan. It doused them as Trunks began to think, ' Gohan, you were everything to me. Why'd you do it? Why'd you leave us?'
They stopped about a foot away from Gohan. Water had started to collect around Gohan's body, creating a puddle of slightly pink water. Serina dropped to her knees and clenched the ground.
" Gohan . . ." she cried as she grabbed him into a hug. She cradled him as Trunks sat beside her.
' This isn't fair . . .' she thought, ' This just isn't fair!'
The pair sat like that for an hour, until trunks thought it was time to go.
" Serina, we have to go back to my house. We . . . we need to get Gohan to a better place."
Serina faced Trunks, deep blue eyes stricken with grief. She nodded her head in response and helped pick Gohan up. He wasn't heavy, but he was rather big in proportion to their smaller bodies. They began their long way back to Capsule Corp.
******
" Trunks!" Bulma, Trunks' mother called out, " What happened?" She looked at Serina, who held Gohan.
" No . . .Gohan." she knelt beside Serina, placing a hand on the warriors face. She covered her mouth and let out a muffled sob. She turned to Serina and pulled her in a hug.
" B-B-Bulma, make the pain go away." Serina called out as she sobbed onto her. Bulma heard a noise come from behind her. She turned to see her son trying to hold back tears. She gathered him into a hug as well and held the children in her arms as they leached onto her.
" Make the pain go away." Serina exclaimed again. Bulma looked up, praying to the God above the Earth for an answer.
Suddenly it came to her. Her prototype, the one she had been working on for months, the memory modifier, she could use it to reduce their pain some how. If she didn't act fast, the things the pair witnessed would crush them eventually. As if they weren't abnormal enough already, now they had witnessed a brutal murder. She had to make them forget certain things to keep them from going insane. They weren't even eight yet. There was no choice in the matter. She would change their memories to make them forget. Not to forget Gohan or how and why he died, but to help prevent physiological problems from happening. She would modify their childhoods to help them move on.
" Don't worry guys, I can't make it go away, but I can help." She told them. The only problem, however . . .
She looked down at the children on her lap. Being the genius that she is, she figured that after the modification they wouldn't remember each other after all the pain the endured together. Was she willing to take their friendship away?
'No,' she thought, ' It won't take it away, it'll only put their memories of each other in hiding. The memory chip was only designed to last about ten years, something will spark their memories . . . they will remember.'
" Come on guys, let's call Master Roshi."
**************************************************************************** *******************
" It's my fault," Serina sniffed as she looked Trunks in the eyes, her face scrunching in the effort not to cry," It's my fault he died . . .all my fault . . ." Trunks' brows knitted as his own eyes began to water a little. He looked at her as she tried desperately not to unleash her emotions. What could he do to help her?
He did the only thing he could do. He pulled her into his arms and gave her an affectionate hug. Serina, not expecting this, sat for a moment in shock. Soon, however, she pulled her arms around his neck and began to cry.
Serina cried painfully on Trunks, who in return held onto her comfortingly. He remembered everything. The day Gohan died, the promises his mother gave them, the promise to make them forget some of their pain. The modifier helped for a while, but now . . . now what were they suppose to do? True, they were much older and much more mature, but what good was it? It didn't help them now. It didn't help Serina . . .
Trunks could almost feel her sobs cut through him, the pain shaking her to the very deepest parts of herself. She was keeping this to herself ever since the day they found the truth of their pasts . . .Hidden pasts. And what did she think of this?
' She thinks it's her fault.' He thought as he rubbed her head, bringing her closer. It wasn't her fault at all. Gohan knew what he was doing the whole time, he knew that he was going to die.
" Serina," breathed Trunks, " How can this be your fault? Not even you can control everything." He exclaimed, trying to make light of the situation. She only cried harder in response.
" It doesn't mean that I couldn't have tried." Her muffled voice called out. Trunks sighed, rubbing her back in little circles.
" He fought not for himself, but for you." He told her softly. She lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked at him wide eyed.
" Serina, he knew that someday you'd be a great warrior. He knew you'd be greater them him, better than this. He loved you, and he still does."
" It's so hard," she sniffed, " it's hard to keep it in. The pain feels like it's poisoning my body. I can't always keep it locked away."
" You don't have to." He said softly, " You're forgetting one thing. You have me now, don't be afraid to let me in every once in a while, ok?" She smiled slightly at his remark.
" Trunks, you mean so much to me, I can't dump all my emotions on you, it's selfish and I bet it gets extremely annoying having some girl complaining about everything--"
" No, you're not understanding," he interrupted, " No matter what happens I'll be there for you. If you feel like you have too much on your shoulders, please let me be the one to take some of the burden away. I will be there to catch you when you fall, and I would do anything for you, remember that."
Serina stared at him for a moment, stumbling on her words. How could she respond to something so beautiful? All she could do was envelope him into another tighter, more loving embrace.
" Thank you." She choked out as he rocked her back and forth. They stayed like that for a while more, Serina enjoying the steady rhythm of Trunks' heart, feeling as if it was the only thing that was keeping her from going insane.
" Trunks, I'm ok." Serina said at last, breaking their hug and standing up, " I'm ready to start again."
" What?" he asked in a disbelieving voice, " I don't believe it. All right, if you want, let's go." He had a glint in his eye as he took a stance.
" This time, you're going down." Serina mused He rose a brow in question and she only smirked back.
" We'll have to see about that." He said, and they began their assault on each other again. **************************************************************************** ********************
The next day, Serina and Trunks woke up, finding that they were still on the island. They were curled up with each other, the morning effect causing them to be a little groggy. Soon, however, their senses kicked in and they sat up with a great amount of energy.
" He, he, hi Trunks." Serina said as she let go of Trunks, her cheeks burning a light crimson.
" Morning." He said, his voice cracking as it usually does when he becomes nervous, " *Yawn, what time is it?"
" Judging by the sun, it's about five." she replied, " We must have been up past three."
" Yeah. Great first session, huh?" he asked, scratching his head.
" Oh yeah, I can defiantly feel it everywhere." She responded as she rubbed her but.
" I think it's from sleeping on the ground." They stayed in peaceful silence for a moment, blinking sleep away from their eyes.
" I miss this." Serina said out of the blue.
" Miss what? Training?" he asked. She shrugged.
" That and camping out. I use to do it all the time . . .with you . . .I always wondered why camping always made me feel so safe. I guess I know why now." She said as Trunks' ears burned.
" I guess . . ." she continued, " I guess that it was a way of missing you without knowing it."
" I know the feeling. Remember how we use to drink out of the same bottle of Pepsi while watching movies?" he asked and she nodded, " When I did that alone, I . . .felt something, I felt that something was missing. I realize that it was you. Now your back and . . ."
" . . .Everything's complete." She finished, " You're my friend, and I'm glad you're here."
' Friend . . .' Trunks thought as his heart sank, ' Why does it sadden me when she refers to me as a "friend"? I'm so stupid!'
" Come on," Trunks said, " We better be heading back. It's getting light, and I don't think we can pull of flying without getting noticed."
" All right," she said, " I'll race you!" He smirked.
" You're on." And they took off, speeding away from the island.
Trunks won by a mile.
This chapter isn't as long as I hoped it would be, but it's ok. I finally updated. I want to thank all the people who reviewed, especially Trisha, who reviewed like five times. You're awesome, and I wanna know if you write fics yourself. Well, I'll try to update soon. C ya!
