Won the Battle, Losing the War
Disclaimers: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the characters. If I did Great Sayaman wouldn't exist. Yes. ~bows to her applauses~
Author's Note: Man. I felt bad at leaving you guys at such a… depressing note. I can't say this will be happy but how about this… No one dies in this one! ^^;;
The fire danced in a taunting way, sliding over the sticks like a serpent. Mirai Trunks drew back his hands from the small flames letting them catch completely. In a couple of seconds they had their second fire of the night.
The night was frigid and damp with a late rain. The fire took quite a bit to start and by the looks of it, it wouldn't stay long. Warming his hands above the licking flames, Mirai Trunks rested his rump on the decaying log behind him.
The warmth rose up his arms slowly bringing a small smile to his worn face. It was a tiny pleasure to have in all the disaster… His stomach let off a low growl and his heart panged in memory of his younger self who was begging for food only hours earlier.
Mirai Trunks glanced across the log to were Gohan knelt; digging with a twig in the dirt. His eyes were distant as his mind retracted good memories to cover the bad ones just formed. Gohan lifted the stick momentarily scanning his deep strait scar on the earth. He frowned; lifted his stick and made another line diagonal to the first one.
Trunks reached into his jacket pocket to find a couple of trivial candy bars and a half eaten bag of Doritos. Deciding on one candy bar each, with one to spare for later, and the chips to be shared, Trunks scooted over to Gohan.
Gohan didn't acknowledge Trunks' movement, nor cared. He began to scratch, yet another, wound into the earth a few inches away from the other blemishes.
"Hey. Want some?" Trunks interrupted politely.
Gohan looked up to see the chips and candy. His mind wished to deny the food but his stomach was far stronger. Gohan quickly took his fair share and finished in a couple of seconds. Trunks finished shortly after him.
Gohan reached down to grip his stick again when Trunks snorted slightly. Gohan looked up in bewilderment, as if laughing was foreign to him. Trunks covered his mouth hastily with a cursory apology. Gohan accepted it with a brandish of his stick not really wanting to know the reason. He started up on his tunneling again as Trunks offered a explanation,
"I was just thinking of how ironic it was."
"Ironic, what was?" Gohan retorted subconsciously.
"Well, their deaths, I mean. Each one of them died protecting us. All except little me, and he was possessed." Trunks elucidated, "We are the warriors that protect people. And they all ended up saving us. Isn't that queer?"
Gohan paused momentarily in the middle of a curved disfigurement; his face filled with doubt. Trunks was thankful for even that emotion on the boy's face. His blank expressions lately were upsetting… but since Videl's death, his emotions seemed much more clear.
"It is ironic." Gohan shrugged.
He went back to carving in the dirt leaving Trunks in uncomfortable silence. Trunks could have kicked himself for such a remark; speaking ill of their departed families. He was trying to lighten to mood and he only seemed to make it heavier.
"You know what I think is funny though?" Gohan muttered out of the blue, "Of how Vegeta would have clobbered Haji if he had the second chance."
Trunks snickered slightly at the thought and added his own,
"How about Goku, huh?"
"That would have been awesome." Gohan smirked, "How about Bulma then?"
"Ohhh. Don't even go there!" Trunks chuckled merrily, "How about your mom if you have to throw my mom in?"
"Probably hit him with a frying pan for hours."
The two boys shared a strange laughter that cut through the blood weighted air. Gohan felt the feeling quite satisfying. The fast pounding of his heart to keep up with the air his lungs spilt out wastefully into the unclean air. The gurgling that rushed up his through his throat in strange spurts; emitting a sound he had long since forgotten to listen for. He smiled happily into the brilliant fire feeling a surge of hope rush through his veins. Never had he felt the Dragon Balls so close to his hands before. Like he still was wearing that dorky hat with the whole set perched atop it.
"Gohan…" Trunks muttered softly gazed down upon the scars that Gohan had instigated.
Gohan looked down as well unaware of what he had done. Videl's name was written neatly upon the earth, glowing in the faint camp fire luminosity. He still thought about her being gone even when he didn't realize it. Gohan frowned deeply, hoping that if he shut and then opened his eyes again it would be gone.
"Gohan… What would you do to Haji if you had the chance?"
Gohan didn't answer; his face shaded from the light. He rose off the log; his breath going shallow. The toe of the boot rubbed sharply into the scars, casing them in the newly overturned dirt. The fire gave it's last spark and died under the veil of smoke.
Goten grunted in pain as Haji dropped the tortured body before him. His smile was wildly stretched across his face; awaiting his prey to appear. He paced before the polished floor that Goten's blood dripped upon as they both waited. His form was that of his prey. Gohan…
Lighting forked across the drooping skies, illuminating a boy's silhouette in the distance. Haji's grin grew broader as Gohan marched forth. His body was drenched with the rain that had just started, asserting it's wrath upon the newly created world. He stood erect before the monster that's hands dripped off blood. His eyes were black with a gripping rage that seemed to radiate off his whole being. He promptly took in his brother's failing condition and then turned his attention upon his foe once more.
"Come alone, Gohan?" Haji laughed, his voice as sinister as ever.
"I couldn't have Trunks pulled into my fight." Gohan stated bluntly, "It was never his in the first place."
"Wise." Haji smirked, "But I'm afraid you have only belated the inevitable destiny that awaits for you and him."
"SHUT UP!" Gohan shrieked lunging out at the beast before him.
Haji cut through Gohan's defenses without any effort, thrusting his fist strait through the boy's stomach. Gohan hung off of the man's arm, his face covered in incomprehension. Blood tumbled to the floor mixing with the blood of his brother's. Gohan tried to removed himself from Haji's fist but Haji refused him. He held Gohan's dying body close enough for the failing ears to catch his last words,
"Better luck next time , Demi Sayian."
He yanked Gohan off him causing the boy's face to contort with agony. Blood spilt into a enormous puddle seeming almost as if the rain was no longer clear. Screams echoed off the red canyon until the thunder deafened them.
Trunks sat up suddenly from his slumber in a terrified panic. He wrapped his jacket about his bare shoulders and struggled to his feet. His mind was pounding with the screams of his master,
"Darn it, Gohan. Why the h*** didn't you wait for me!!!" Trunks cursed trying to crush his foot into his shoe.
Trunks miscalculated his balance and fell awkwardly over the log. His back received the full impact; knocking the air out of the teenager. Trunks breathed in fleetingly the night air hoping he wasn't to late. He tried pushing himself to his feet just to tumbled over a pair of legs. Bewildered, Trunks looked down at Gohan's sleeping face.
"Wha…" Trunks muttered sitting back down; still with only one shoe on.
It suddenly hit him that he had dreamt the whole string of events himself. Due to his previous experiences with the androids and Gohan, he had predicted that Gohan would leave him and try to take on Haji alone. Just as he had done before. But strangely, Gohan had not moved from where the slept last night. And judging on how soundly the boy was sleeping, he had no intention to leave without Trunks. Trunks smiled softly in gratitude to the unaware sayian and curled back into a comfortable spot of dirt once more. Neither of the boys stirred again till sun up. Not even when the lighting forked across the sky…
To Be Continued
Please R + R
Awe… Kind of nice of Gohan to stay, don't you think? ^^
