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: It's the chapter you've all been waiting for…
-Veggie shoots pink shirt man with a ki blast- Thank you, Vegeta.
Vegeta: fah.
Anyway, yes. It coming to the final battle time. Trunks and Gohan actually meet Haji! Yay! Can't you just feel the excitement?
"Eh…" Trunks made a small noise in the back of his throat as he gazed upon the massive obstacle before them, "It looks like it goes up forever."
"That's what cliff walls usually do." Gohan smiled softly, "But… Haji's up there. I can feel him."
"I can smell him." Trunks joshed waving his hand before his nose, "Peeu! You know?"
Gohan shared a chuckle with Mirai Trunks. But the situation quickly turned their laughter cold. Without flight, Gohan and Trunks were forced to make it up this the hard way.
Mirai Trunks decided to go first due to his lighter build. He made sure his sword was fastened securely across his chest and took a running leap at the wall. With a couple of side to side jumps, Trunks was already twelve feet up the wall. With his foot and hand holds obtained, Trunks nodded for Gohan's accent.
Gohan did not charge so furiously up the way as the lilac topped boy had. Instead he started precariously at the bottom and made his way one hand and foothold at a time.
The only sound that filled the early morning air was the grunts and scrapings of two boys heaving their body weight up the tedious climb. After nearly an hour of the onslaught, Mirai Trunks found beads of sweat starting to slipped sneakily down his forehead. He blinked past them to the sun drenched goal above them. Mirai Trunks took hold of another handhold and felt his adrenaline rise at the sight of a branch or something above them. It hung limply off the side of what appear to be the end of their climb.
"Gohan! I think I see the top!"
Trunks stopped, waiting for the sluggish climber to make his way to him. Although Gohan was going at much slower pace, he seemed more tired then Trunks was. He spotted the top just as Trunks had. His face lit up with a grin. His eyes even sparkled with relief as he reached out for another handhold.
Trunks eyes widened as he saw Gohan's mistake. Gohan hand hastily made a grab for loose handhold and it crushed beneath his weight. The bits of grit and dirt fell back just as quickly as his hand. In Gohan's scramble, his boot tips slid off their grips. Gohan made a sort of gasp in the back of his throat and tipped backwards.
"GOHAN!" Trunks cried helplessly flinging out his hand.
Gohan twisted about in the air and snatched the open hand. The tension passed and Trunks' arm started to feel the full pull of gravity. Carefully, Trunks helped Gohan back to the wall. Gohan grabbed hold of the wall eagerly and hung there; hugging it in shock. Both Trunks and Gohan's eyes met…
"You could have died." Trunks muttered softly.
"I know." Gohan smiled weakly, "Ironic, isn't it?"
"Not really." Trunks whispered, "You wanted to live. That's why you grabbed my hand. There's no other reason for such a reaction."
"Instinct." Gohan suggested.
"Really?" Trunks smiled, "Yeah right, Gohan."
They shared another chuckle and headed back up. The grits hit the bottom soundlessly below them; stirring nothing in the dark woods…
Mirai Trunks griped the top of the earth, scraping large amount of dirt off it's surface in attempt to pull himself up. Finally his fingers caught enough grip and he was able to lift himself upon the top. Gasping and wiping the sweat off his brow, Trunks lay flat on his belly not wanting to stir just yet.
Gohan drew himself up shortly after Mirai Trunks. He sat on his knees with his face bowed down in exhaustion. Breathing heavily with sweat beading off his cheeks and nose, Gohan looked wearily ahead of them. His dark eyes widened in amazement.
Gohan groped out for Trunk's arm. Upon finding it, he shook it urgently. Trunks looked over at Gohan sleepily and then to what he was staring at. His eyes widened as well.
There was no Goten, bloody or unscathed, to greet them. There was no evil crimson eyed monster. There was no sinister laughter exiting from the mouth of the shape shifter. There was no palace looming towards the sky with lighting forked about it's upper towers. There was only the bland emptiness of the top of a plateau and a strange incise gashed into the earth.
"What is it?" Gohan muttered through husky breaths.
"I…I have no idea." Trunks answered insipidly
Gohan climbed weakly to his unsteady legs as the engravings began to glow a eerie white. The colors slipped through each crack like a fluid until it slid into the center of it's carving. There, it fell upwards like droplets from a dying waterfall; forming a oval sort of pool in the air. It hung flaccidly in the air with only the wind casting ripples across it's clear surface.
"What the…" Mirai Trunks gulped.
As each word poured out of his mouth, the blob twisted and churned hissing back similar sounds from it's own shapeless mouth. Mirai Trunks' eyes widened more, if possible, and he covered his mouth in disbelief.
Both Gohan and Mirai Trunks made their way cautiously towards it's wonder, as if it might strike out at them if they walked too fast. With each vibration on the earth, it wiggled and squirmed unpleasantly. Upon reaching it, both boys paused, uncertain what to do next.
"I think I know what it is." Gohan muttered as the blob repeated him with it's obscene gestures.
Mirai Trunks took a vigilant step back from the thing as it withered,
"What?"
"It's the… spiritual projection of this planet."
"Nani?" Mirai Trunks gulped with a raised voice.
The pool let out a shrill version of Trunk's cry and wiggled back and forth violently for a few painful seconds. The moment passed and Trunks tried again much gentler,
"What do you mean?"
'I mean that this thing here is a replica of the planet's feelings so to say."
"What is it doing here then?" Mirai Trunks growled frustratingly, "Where is Haji?"
Gohan did not answer, possessed by the consecrated energy it let off. His hand bowed down towards the orb, numbed by it's overwhelming calling.
Trunks seized Gohan's wrist before his fingers graced it's pallid surface. Gohan looked up blankly at the elder boy as if perplexed by his sudden action. Trunks' face was stern, lit by the radiating orb,
"We have no idea what it is, Gohan. Don't touch it."
Gohan still did not answer Trunks' command, still overcome by the awe of the alluring aurora.
Gohan casually leaned forward and gently pulled his imprisoned hand to the orb. Trunks pulled against it but the thrust was unexpectedly too harsh to avoid. Gohan's hand collided with the shimmering object.
The whole of the plateau erupted with a bright white light and powerful wind. Trunks wailed over the power rush that swept over the two of them. His voice and body vanished under the waves. Gohan fell backwards silently in the wind. His body woke from the numb as he was hurled off the plateau.
Gohan let out a raspy yell of astonishment covering his face with his arms. He prepared for the impact he was sure to endure; only to feel the winds die. When Gohan opened his eyes he was flat on the ground of a blinding whiteness. And as he lifted his body and gaze all he saw was this whiteness.
"Gohan-san."
Gohan spun about to see Trunks on his rump looking down upon his hands in confusion. Gohan raised an eyebrow at him and he returned a bewildered stare.
"Niisan!" A muffled voice shouted.
Gohan spun about on his knees to see his heart's desire. His mouth with dry as all the water in his body gushed out his eyes. Blinded by the tears of joy, Gohan rushed to the solid transparent prison Goten was contained.
Gohan's hands clunked dully against the wall unable to break it's immaculate surface. Although Goten seemed well, his face was red with freshly drawn tears. He ran his fingers down the solid wall between the two of them leaving a streak of his salty tears.
Gohan stared forlornly at the brother before him. He had come so far to be separated by one single obstacle. A wall. A filthy invention of territorial markings the humans created as to keep what they owned away from others. But Goten was never owned by anyone. His pure spirit trapped in the penitentiary seemed like a sin beyond all sins. The only punishment that Goten was receiving here was being the brother of Son Gohan. Something that he couldn't help.
Goten and Gohan's eyes met each of them feeling the other's hopelessness and pain. Goten bowed his head and sniffled softly, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.
"It can't be…" Gohan whispered, the tears welling up in his shadowy eyes, "No. I didn't come this far to abandon you!"
Gohan's eyes flashed with the purest shades of the sayian heritage, filled with the tears of denial. His ebony hair lifted upwards in a inexplicable wind, freezing into a solid gold. Gohan's muscles bulked, sparkling with a bizarre power. Gohan voice enveloped the room in a haunted shriek as his power increased by the tenfold. Trunks stood silently as the biting winds swept past him; brushing his sweaty locks across his worn face.
"No." Trunks muttered softly as his eyes shut desolately.
Gohan let out a staggering cry as he plunged his fist into the barrier. The fist just bounced off harmlessly. Undefeated, Gohan thrashed his other fist into it. Gohan pounded upon the cage helplessly, crushing his knuckles till they were bloody and bruised. Gohan slipped down with his left cheek pressed against the shield. His hair fell limply back down upon his clamped eyelids as Gohan shook hysterically with grief. His hand slid down after his head leaving a tail of blood upon it's polished shine. Gohan clenched his fist against the prison and banged weakly against the cage as if hoping it would break. Tears squeezed their way out through his eyes… and Gohan couldn't move.
Gohan's heart shattered from the weight of his hopes. One wall. How was it one wall that separated them?
Goten pressed his hand gently against the cheek of Gohan image. Gohan could almost feel the child's small pudgy fingers upon his face again. How he missed his little brother waking him up in the early hours of the morning with his wake up song. But he would never hear it again. Never…
"Awe. How sweet…"
Gohan and Trunks turned hastily as Goten merely looked up dolefully. There a second rather evil Gohan sat upon his haunches staring upon the three of his 'prisoners'.
"You bas-" Trunks hissed stepping forward.
Haji lifted his hand elegantly and Trunks hesitated. His face was filled with malice as he waited for Haji's galling words.
"Weren't there more of you?" Haji questioned, looking concerned, "Where did they all go?"
"You know damn well where they went." Trunks snapped wrathfully
"Such language." Haji smiled in shock, "Didn't think you had it in you."
"Shut up." Gohan spat raising up from his perch, "We've had enough of your games."
"Oh really?" Haji said maliciously, "You just reached the finals, boys. There's no going back now…"
To Be Continued…
Please R + R!
Sorry about the language. ^^;; But, heck, if I were in that situation I would curse. I never curse without good reason. At this point in the story it made sense. And outside the world of this, I don't curse at all. ^^
