Hikari No Will Power

Act One, Finale
Anger, Sorrow, Pain and Tears! Hyouko Kaname's Last Stand!


Yumi screamed.

Her voice, sharp and shrilly mainly due to the panic and fear rippling inside of her, came like a slap on Trunks' face, with even a greater intensity than the one she rendered to him a few moments back. Panic was contagious, the demi-saiyajin knew, for in no time, he found himself hurrying to get to her.

Ever since the incident in the trapdoor compartment --- where, Trunks knew, he acted like a total jerk --- she refused to talk to him, no matter how hard he tried to open up a new topic. When he finally blasted themselves out, she went on her way, without even thanking him for the gesture. He understood it perfectly, however, and he decided that the first thing he was going to do when the fuss would all be over would be to apologize.

Since the young woman knew the area by heart, she made it through the passageway without breaking a sweat, while the young man fell into the other traps that weren't activated yet. He successfully dodged a few by his quick reflexes and by throwing random ki-blasts around the area, but unfortunately, he got caught in most of them, as his thoughts were far away from the situation at hand.

Damnit, I gotta get to her fast! he thought furiously as he scurried to get to her, as the warning bell at the back of his mind rung like there was no tomorrow. It was beginning to get deafening, but it, too, pushed him to go even faster than ever. He knew that despite the way he had been acting towards her, he would never be able to forgive himself if she would get hurt. I dragged her into this mess, after all... kidnapped her, to be precise.

Finally, he turned around the last corner of the dark, passageway, and in no time, stepped into the light. He found Yumi standing just a short distance from him, in front of a grand-looking door leading to the older Kaname's private chambers. She was shaking, however, from head to foot, and her hands were clasped over her mouth as if she was trying to stop herself from screaming even more. When he walked up to her side, she held out a hand and extended a quivering finger towards the thing in front of them.

"What the hell---"

It was a tail.

The warning song, which pounded in the demi-saiyajin's head, grew even louder than ever, until it was the only sound he could hear. All the other noises in the world disappeared into the said song, as it played over and over in the young man's mind. And as if guided by it, his gaze flew from the amputated organ towards the door, and without a word, he rushed forward and flung it open. He did not know what lay beyond the door, but he did not get the time to think about it.

As the door flew open, the symphony in his head died down, and the next thing he heard was Yumi's scream.

"Father!" she called out, color draining from her face as she ran towards the fallen man, who was being supported by Goten. She took her father into her arms as soon as she got to him, tears spilling out of her eyes. Even if Hyouko had never been the man she wanted him to be --- a good father, that is --- she was still her father, and that was what counted at the moment. "Father, please, don't do this to me!"

Her voice sounded like music to the older man's ears, and weakly, he forced his eyes to open. He then ran a hand through her cheek, smiling up at her, despite of the situation he was in. "Yumi... You look so much like your... your mother," he whispered, his voice barely audible due to the massive energy he lost at the battle that took place.

"Father, father, don't talk, I'm begging you! I don't want to hear what you have to say, I just want you to live!" she implored, more tears falling out of her ravishing, verdant eyes that were staring at him with love and compassion. "When you're all better, we can talk about it --- and we can get revenge on those who did this to you! But you have to live, you have to get past this!" She then looked up to her friend, who was standing by her side for support. "Goten, please, let's get him---"

"No... We have to... talk," Hyouko interrupted, his eyes flashing with the same degree of stubbornness he was known for. His gaze then moved towards the lavender-haired, blue-eyed demi-saiyajin, who stood further behind the others with an expression of utter confusion. After all, he didn't know whether he was supposed to be glad of his predator's downfall... or whether he was supposed to sympathize with the Prime Minister's daughter who was crying her heart out. "Briefs-Vegeta... It was... my mistake. The Most High... Ryuurai... He will... He will... He will in---"

But he never got the opportunity to relay the message. He never even got the time to finish the last syllable of the most important word he wanted to say to Trunks, which was the most urgent detail at that said moment. He wanted to relay it badly, as he cared for the citizens of Japan nearly as much as he cared for his daughter, but he was deprived of the chance.

A fast-acting venom dart struck him in the arm, precisely in the point in which it was meant to hit.

And at very moment, Hyouko knew that the message he was trying to relay would never, ever leave his lips, as the dart was programmed not only to kill, but to stop the utterance of things that would cause harm to those who were after him. He felt his muscles contract, and his body convulse in response to it. The color that was left on his face was quickly drained from it, and his eyes were losing the last ounces of life in them. He was growing stiff, growing cold... and he knew that he had only a few moments left before he would slip into the grasp of death.

There was only one alternative left, and Hyouko knew that it was his last chance. Sweeping his gaze towards the demi-saiyajin, who bent down to rip the dart from his arm, he muttered in a voice barely above a whisper, "Tell Kasumi... Tell Kasumi..."

"I will."

A tail whipped from the shadows, alerting both demi-saiyajins by the faint echo if it. "No, Goten, you stay with Yumi, and see what you can do with him. I'll check it out," Trunks quickly volunteered, looking at the three of them with a serious expression on his features before he charged up and sprinted out of the window, in pursuit of the mysterious assassin.

On the other hand, Hyouko's vision was slipping away, as he himself was falling into the darkness. Everything else in began to disappear from his view, except for the face of his beloved daughter, who was nearly the mirror image of his wife, Kisei. He reached out for her, to touch her for the last time. "I love you..." he murmured inaudibly, referring to the most important women in his life. His wife, who he loved dearly, and his daughter, who bore his beloved's face.

"Father, no, please! I love you, don't do this to me! Please, hold on! You have to hold on!"

Forgive me, Yumi. Forgive me, Briefs-Vegeta. I had no choice in the matter. I had to obey Ryuurai or my daughter would pay the consequences. She's means so much to me, she means too much to me. He wanted to explain, he wanted to tell them, but he no longer had the strength to do so. His eyes, unwilling though he was, fell shut. The rest of the world slipped with him. Not only his sight and hearing disappeared, but as well as his dreams, his aspirations, and his plans for the future. They all faded away into the darkness, the same darkness that engulfed him in eternal rest.

Suddenly, there was a faint glimmer of hope in the realm of oblivion. A voice. The voice of someone he loved, and someone he cared for. The voice of someone who had been intensely loyal to him, and someone who had done so much to please him. Someone who he was in debt to.

Master?

But there was nothing he could do with it. He could not grasp it, as his strength was failing him. His telepathic link with her, too, was shutting down, another aspect failing him. A few precious seconds was all he had left, and even if his world was practically going in slow motion, he knew it wasn't enough. It just wasn't enough.

Goten Son... Goten Son...

And those words were his last.

There was anger, and sympathy. There was hate, and love. There was sadness, and joy. And above them all, was confusion.

Trunks did not understand what he felt, and most especially what he felt towards Kaname. He hated the man, as he was the one who made his life a living hell. He was mad at him for making him suffering, and he was happy that he was finally dead. But somewhere inside him, he felt rueful. Seeing Yumi in tears made him feel that way, and her cries made him sympathize with her. He didn't want to see her cry, he didn't want to see her hurt.

Because he loved her.

"YOU!" he called out upon spotting the assassin, who was standing at the edge of the mansion's balcony, as if it was going to jump and kill himself. He came to a halt a short distance away from it, and clenched his fists in fury. "Who sent you?! What did you do to Kaname?!"

It hissed, its tail swishing about. "It is none of youurr buusiness, brrat," it spat in an odd, English accent. Then, it turned around to face him, revealing its hideous-looking alien face to the demi-saiyajin. "Buut youu have witnessed something that youu shouuld not have. And forr that, youu muust die."

In a blink of an eye, it charged. The other warrior, however, was faster than it was. Trunks disappeared, then reappeared a moment later behind it, his face a mask of anger. "Nobody crosses a saiyajin," he began, saying each word with intense emphasis, "and gets away with it. KIENZAN!"

Its tail broke off, and a short while after, it died.

"It's not fair, not fair... He didn't deserve to die, he didn't deserve to die..." Yumi sobbed as she flung herself into Goten's arms.

The demi-saiyajin felt awkward at the young woman's sudden move, but he soon relaxed and allowed her to spill whatever she felt at the moment. He stroked her hair to comfort her, and rocked her gently while he did so. "It's alright, Yumi... Just cry, it's alright..." he whispered, his voice soft and soothing. "It's alright..."

A short way off, just outside the room by the balcony's window, Trunks hung his head and turned around, his heart wrenching painfully. Yumi, the girl he had fallen in love with in an unbelievably short span of time, thought he was such a jerk --- which he truly was --- and she had feelings for someone else.

And that someone else happens to be my counterpart's best friend, he thought, clenching his fist as he sat down at the balcony's railing, ignoring the still-wriggling tail of the alien assassin. However, he took a deep breath and unclenched his hand. No. Goten has nothing to do with this. It's not his fault that Yumi likes him --- I'm simply a jerk.

He looked up at the dark sky, his azure orbs sorrowful and lonely.

"I guess I'm destined to be alone for the rest of my life."

[Author's Note] And that brings Act One to a close --- but don't worry! There will be more chapters to come, as Act Two will definitely be longer and more action-packed! There'll be cute, fluffy moments; a great deal of angst; action and suspense plus space battles (Yes, I love Star Wars!); and most of all, ROMANCE! Try to guess the pairings, I'm sure you'll be able to. =P

Let's see... I know, Trunks was just a bit too mean in this fic, but well, my excuse is, he doesn't really know how to deal with women! And he's very straightforward and very frank, so he doesn't realize until it's too late that he already hurt the girl, and that makes him somewhat a jerk. As for Goten, I'm building his Casanovic image in which he is known for in GT, so expect him to go flirting with random girls in Act Two. Well, not really 'random,' but you get the point. *grins*

Now, I need your opinion. Remember 'Fueled by Anger, Driven by Despair,' that angsty G/V fic of mine --- in which I got a lot of amusing comments from angry readers? Well, I'm thinking of putting this fic into some sort of Hiatus mode, so I can work on the sequel of the fic I mentioned, 'Killing Me Softly.' Opinions, please?

Thanks for your support, guys! =P