Hikari No Will Power

Act One, Chapter Four
Gentle Front, Cruel Intentions! Open Your Eyes, Do Not Be Deceived!


"I don't know what to do now, Chichi-san," Trunks whimpered in a voice barely above a whisper as he buried his pale face in his hands. His eyes were brimming with tears that he hesitated to shed, and it was his pride that was keeping him from doing so, most probably. "Everything happened so fast, it's... overwhelming. One minute I was filled with joy like no other, having exterminated the androids and Cell... and in no time, everything came tumbling down just when I fixed it up. I thought change would things for the better --- my life, most especially --- but at Okaasan's death, my life was turned upside-down. Now I'm at the losing end... at the losing end with no means of escaping."

She looked at him with raven eyes filled with sympathy, although the same intensity of sadness and hurt could be traced in those eyes. "Trunks... I know everything has been hard. Not only for you, but for me as well. But I don't think killing yourself would be a good idea. I..." she began with a hint of hesitation, but in no time she found herself holding up the knife that lay unnoticed on the table when the young man came in. "... I tried to kill myself earlier, yes, as despair and hopelessness sunk into me, and drove me to a sudden, suicidal state. But just when I was about to make that one move that would put this suffering to an end, I saw my reflection on the blade, and I realized that... I'm still alive because there's a reason that I must stay that way."

"I don't see any reason for me to stay alive," he countered bitterly.

"I didn't see the reason why either, but I knew, at that moment, that there was one behind it all. Well... I didn't see it until you came running in, asking for my help, and that was when it washed over me. You are the reason why I must stay alive. Because I have to help you," Chichi finished quietly, her eyes still on the young man. "Killing yourself may seem the quickest way out of the dilemna you're in, but... it's not the best thing to do. I've been to the brink of it, and I will never attempt to do it again. You see, it's not only a form of cowardice, it's a form of degrading yourself. I mean... can you face your father in the Afterlife when you died because you killed yourself?"

"No."

It was a good idea to play around with the demi-saiyajin's pride for the time being, as it was the only way Chichi could think of to make him change his mind about suicide. "You're a saiyajin. You're the son of Vegeta, the late Prince of the saiyajins. Would you stoop so low just to get happiness? Are you certain it will be a happy life after this one? And are you just going to give up when you've come this far?"

"What should I do, then?!" Trunks asked in a strained, bewildered tone, lifting his distressed sapphire eyes towards his sensei's mother --- pleading, in a way. He felt so helpless, so useless, and Chichi's little game of logic was only causing his emotions to swell unexplicably inside of him.

"... I don't know what exactly you should do..." she began, shaking her head. "But I'm sure that you will find a way. You made it past the androids when no one else couldn't --- surely this will be a piece of cake. I have full confidence in you, Trunks. And I am willing to help you in any way possible. You are welcome to stay here until you decide to leave and go back to Capsule Corporation. I will be more than happy to help you out." She smiled softly, then a second after, she frowned noticeably. "Which reminds me, I don't know what exactly happened on that day your employees were murdered. Could you, perhaps... tell me about it?"

Trunks hesitated for a bit, and then, he whispered, "I received a phone call."

"And?"

"... It was a death threat. Something about... running away to avoid further death, death of those people who will defend me," the young man replied quietly. "He told me to... run away while I still have time. Then he told me to open the door to see what he is capable of doing, and then... I saw them all. All 13 of them. Dead."

Chichi let out a gasp.

"It was terrible, Chichi-san," Trunks blurted out with a shudder. "They looked as if... their ki was sucked out of them, taking away their life as it was done so. Their eyes were empty and void-like... their skin withered like dead leaves... and they appeared as if they were only composed of thin flaps of skin and very brittle bones..."

A grimace swept the other's pale face. "How in the world... could anyone have done that? I mean, if the caller himself did that --- sucked the life energy out of them --- he should have grown more powerful, ki-wise, or he must have exerted ki when he did so. You didn't feel anything, like a negative energy or a suspicious ki-signature, did you, Trunks?"

He shook his head. "No. Not at all. If I did, I would have stormed out of Capsule Corporation and gone into the offensive. After the androids, I learned one very important lesson: Never let your guard down. But still... I didn't feel anything, and now I'm beginning to doubt if I'm still in fighting shape, if I can still triumph if an evil being would come and attempt to take over the world. I mean, I've spent most of my time recently doing officework, that wouldn't be impossible..."

"As I said earlier, Trunks, I have full confidence in you."

Trunks chose not to speak, as he did not want Chichi to know that he truly doubted himself much more than anyone could imagine. He just sat there, his head hung in silence, somehow battling against the part of himself that refused to have faith in his capabilities.

Upon seeing that the demi-saiyajin refused to talk about the topic at hand, Chichi stood up and straightened her apron. Well, if the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I hope that the best way to a man's mind is through his stomach as well. I hope after dinner he'll tell me what's bothering him, and then, I can think of a way to help him. Oh Kami, this is going to be hard. Trunks is a lot colder and more secretive than the last time we met, I don't really know what he's like at the moment...

"I'll be in the kitchen, just yell if you want anything," she said softly, putting up the friendliest smile she could manage, although she felt that --- somehow --- the young saiyajin prince saw right through her.

Prime Minister Hyouko Kaname slammed the door of his study room shut, and heaved a heavy sigh shortly after. He made his way towards his favorite reclining chair and slumped, stress clearly reflected in his eyes even though the lens of his elliptically-shaped eyeglasses covered them. "Kasumi..." he began softly with his eyes closed, "... do you think it was a wise decision for me to approve of that executive order? Now that I thought of it intently, it seemed like it was pushed through too fast, and I'm not certain if---"

"If you're worried about coup d'etats and the possibility of getting assassinated, that's what you got me for," the 16-year-old young woman stepped out from the shadows right behind Hyouko's reclining chair, a rather cocky grin on her pale, pointed face. "Besides, it had been a long time since you last sent me out to do some decent work, and my skills might get rusty if you keep this up."

Kaname forced a smile.

"Get over it," Valkyrie snapped, folding her arms in front of her chest, anger staining her features. "Isn't this what you want? To rid the world of evil, to have a sacrifice so pure, so that it will earn you favor from the gods? Then stand up for what you've started; I know that deep inside, you're sure that you're doing the right thing. And I know that you want to do something no other ruler has ever done." She lowered her voice, so that only her master would hear. "Give Katori the order now. That brat needs to be eliminated as soon as possible. We don't want any of our plans to go behind schedule, do we?"

"I..." he began, rather reluctantly. "I want to ask Yumi first."

"Ask her what?" she countered, an eyebrow raised to a dangerous edge. She then paused, thinking of how to put what she wanted to say correctly, in a way that it would drill its point into her master's head without offending him. "Yumi has not yet learned how to control her power. She sees things, but she is unable to see them when she wants to. Master, please. If she sees that something will happen to you, she will definitely tell you about it. There is no need to run to her at the moment, and ask her to look into your future."

After what seemed to be eternity, he nodded. "You're right. I... I guess I should have more confidence in myself this time. I'm just not too used to the idea of making decisions that will affect so many people. But then, I suppose there is nothing I can do to take back what we've agreed upon," he said with a smile, before he took his comlink and set a certain frequency. "Katori. Status report."

"Negative, sir. We lost him---"

Hyouko muted the comlink, looking at his right-hand warrior questioningly. Then, after what seemed to be a short mental conversation, she took the comlink and reactivated it. "Daichi, the master is not pleased with your negligence," she muttered coldly, although she had a twisted smile on her face. After all, she wanted nothing more than the other to fail, so that she would be able to do the task she had wanted to do for so long. The other's warning gaze told her, however, that her time would come. "But he wants to give you a second chance... one last chance."

She then pressed a couple of buttons on the Prime Minister's laptop, and in a moment, the gridlines once again appeared. This time, the dot blinked at the far right end of the screen. "He's at 439 East Mountain District," she blurted out before she keyed in another sequence. "Residence of a certain Chichi Son, a widow. Most probably a friend of the brat's mother... yes, a family friend, all right. Now listen up. Tonight is your last chance. If that brat lives by sunrise, I will personally see to it that you will die in the way he is supposed to. By my hand."

The comlink was then reactivated and handed back to the faction's leader. "You never cease to amaze me," Hyouko complimented, putting the communicator away and leaning forward to look at her intently. "I especially like the way you deal with people. So cool, and yet... so cruel."

"I'm taking that as a compliment," she replied, "and a new way of saying thank you."

"I'm serious about this matter, Kasumi. Very serious, in fact. Which reminds me... have you thought about it yet? I don't mean to pressure you or anything, but I just happen to be... anxious... about the decision of someone like you." Scarlet tinted his cheeks a bit. "I'm not expecting much or anything, just..."

"It's amazing," she began in a highly amused tone, "how men stutter and flush when they talk about matters such as this. How brave, headstrong men like you get reduced to little boys in front of women like me. I wonder what would you do... if I tell you... that I still need more time to think about it?"

"I'll wait," he replied, flashing her a knowing smile. "For eternity, if I have to."

"I can't believe it! Your dad's going to marry that secretary of his? Man, that's screwed! I mean, no offense to that lady friend of yours or to your dad, but they're not supposed to be into that kind of relationship considering their age gap! Your dad's old enough to be her father! And... ewwww, someone younger than you is going to become your stepmother?! That's gross!"

"I know," Yumi replied, rolling her eyes and slumping against the couch. She was holding the remote control in one hand, a glass of iced tea in the other, and the telephone receiver was carefully balanced on her shoulder. "I wanted to talk to dad about it, but he's too busy with all the press conferences and stuff. I never wanted him to go into politics, but he chose to do so. He said that our nation needs a leader who can bring it back to its former glory." She then frowned, remembering the other's words. "And Kasumi's not my friend. I hate her."

"For being the woman your dad loves?"

"Bite me. Dad doesn't love her, he just... I dunno. But I don't think he loves her, or maybe it's just not obvious. Oh I don't know already, I'm getting annoyed with all these things flying around town. I want some peace and quiet, but when I go watch TV, there's always something about our family. Can't they just leave us in peace or something?!"

The girl at the other end of the line laughed. "Alas, Yumi, they won't. You know how those media people are, and they're annoying right to the brim. They won't stop until you drop --- I forgot where I heard that line from, but I had always been wanting to say that. Anyway, tell you what, why don't we go out or something? Like... watch a movie? I'll bring someone with me, I'm sure you'll like him."

"And provide the media another feast? Another sizzling news story about the Prime Minister's daughter, who's mother is a prostitute? I'm sorry, Akane, but I have to turn down your offer. You can come by my apartment, but I'm not going out. Not until these rumors die down. Besides, I'm sure Jin won't let me go out---"

"The deal with the CEO of Capsule Corporation, I suppose?"

Yumi bit her lip, put down the now-empty glass and uttered an affirmative. "You know he's very protective of me, and I don't want him to worry. Not that I'm accusing that person of murder, but I just don't want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time... I mean, the true killer could be just around the corner, somewhere...." She paused to listen to the other's reply, and upon hearing it, her eyes flew wide and touches of pink were painted on her cheeks. She then bolted up and snapped defensively, "Absolutely not!"

She heard laughter from the other side, followed by a few barely audible comments, then once again by squeals and even more laughter.

"Oh forget it!" she exclaimed, her face now as red as a tomato. "I'm definitely not talking to you ever again! And don't expect me to come over the next time you ask me to! And no, you're not welcome to drop by here either!"

"Aw c'mon, Yumi, can't you take a joke?" the voice squealed in a high-pitched tone. "Wait a minute... that WASN'T a joke! I mean, come on, look at you! You've just got to be the most popular and the prettiest female in the country --- your dad's wife-to-be isn't even close to second --- and on the other hand, he's the most popular and the hottest guy in all of Japan! Well... your dad's popular, but he's not hot, no offense. But anyway---"

"I swear I'm not talking to you ever EVER again!" Yumi half-screamed before she disconnected her line, sat back down, and took her favorite book. She then flipped one page after the other, looking for the part she last read and mumbling something to herself incoherently while doing so. The embarrassed look on her face and the rosy glow on her cheeks remained, however, as she put the book close to her face and resumed reading.

A relieved sigh escaped Chichi's lips as she looked at Trunks' still form --- he was finally asleep.

She walked back into her room in a slow pace as she thought of the matter she had in her hands. She wanted to help the young man so much, but she didn't know how. When Gohan had problems, she knew how to deal with them, she knew how to help him out --- but Trunks wasn't Gohan, even if he was the latter's student. Trunks was his own man, and Chichi didn't know him as much as she thought she did, which made things difficult.

If only he had a best friend or something... it would definitely make things easier for both of us. His best friend would surely know what to do, how to make him feel better. But the androids... they made Trunks grow up so fast, they stole his childhood, they prevented him from making friends... such a terrible predicament for someone so young... Chichi thought furiously as she clamped her hand into a fist. If only Goku lived...

Goku. Thinking of him hurt her deeply. It had been years --- many, many years --- but the wound in her heart remained. It would not heal, no matter how she wanted it to. The slightest memory of him would make her cry... though she did not want to cry. At that, Chichi shook her head and wiped the tears off her eyes, forcing back the rest that were threatening to fall. After doing so, she pushed the door of her room open...

... and then, a bright light blinded her as a massive explosion occured.