Chapter 2:

Goodbye, My Friend

The afternoon was rather peaceful and quiet. Bulma preferred to have the television and the radio off most of the time. The despair from the news reports of the latest attacks was practically unbearable. Instead, she contented herself to spending time in her lab, steadily working at trying to find a way to stop the Androids in the only way she knew how.

Charisma had spent the night over at the Capsule Corp house again, as she often did. She was currently upstairs with Trunks in a large empty room, rough housing with him as usual. Bulma feared letting them outside to play so figured a room within the house would be safer. The house itself seemed livelier with a seven- and eight-year-old around and she enjoyed the company. She was certain Trunks enjoyed having Charisma around, too.

Charisma fell flat on her bottom with a loud thump and screamed. "HOLD ON!" She cried, crossing her arms. "You're being a little tough on me, don't you think?"

"No, you're just being weak," said Trunks as he wiped a trail of sweat from his forehead.

He watched as Charisma's pout became more pronounced and he laughed. "Sorry! But it's true. You need to toughen up a little bit more. You'll never stand a chance against the Androids if you're like this."

Charisma's pout turned into a low hanging frown. "…I know…I wish I was strong enough to train more with you and Gohan…"

Trunks scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He didn't know what to say and couldn't deny that he felt a little bad. "Well…someday you will be. That's why I'm training you myself."

Now that Trunks was becoming older, Gohan seemed to be spending more time training him than he was with Charisma. He still would train with her on occasion but for much less time than before. It didn't take too long before Charisma began realizing this.

"…You're a good teacher," Charisma said sweetly, causing Trunks to suddenly blush and shift in his place. She stood up on her feet and dusted herself off. "Let's keep going!"

"I think it's better for us to rest now," Trunks said. "You seem tired."

"I'm not tired…" Charisma protested as she let out a big yawn. She caught herself and quickly covered her mouth.

"I'm not buying it…" Trunks said with a grin. "Let's go find something else to do."

Charisma nodded and followed him along as they went into another part of the house. "What do you think we should do now then?"

Trunks grinned at her mischievously. "…do you want to go outside?"

Charisma gasped and shook her head furiously. "You know we're not allowed to, Trunks. What if we get in trouble?"

"Being outside for just a second won't hurt," he said. "Aren't you tired of being locked up indoors all the time?"

Charisma's eyes fell to the ground. "Of course, but it's dangerous…"

"Don't worry about that," Trunks said and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I'll protect you if that's what you're worried about."

Charisma giggled and let herself be steered carefully and quietly out the backdoor. The view of the city was honestly deplorable. The few buildings that stood were dilapidated with their windows missing or broken, and entire chucks of cement jutted out into the air. There wasn't much grass or trees or flowers anywhere. The world was nothing more than an apocalyptic wasteland.

The two children were used to this kind of world, however. They remained just a few feet from the door, propped up against the house's outside wall on the small patch of grass that somehow still existed there. The soft breeze that passed and blew through their faces and hair was comforting.

"When the Androids are gone, we'll be able to go to school, right?" Charisma asked. "And we'll be able to make more friends…"

"We'll be able to ride all the roller coasters in Dreamland," Trunks added.

"And we'll go to the zoo and see a lot of animals," Charisma replied.

"And someday, I'm going to have my own car," Trunks said. "And I'll drive you around wherever you want to go. I'll give you a ride to the zoo and then we can go ride the roller coasters I'm talking about."

"Yeah," Charisma responded, her eyes full of hope. "And when we come back home, I'll plant a garden with a lot of pretty flowers and bright colors. Wouldn't that be great?"

"Yeah, definitely," Trunks responded with a smile.

Silence fell upon them as they stared out at the distance. Even being just children, they knew those dreams might not ever come true.

"…Are we really going to destroy the Androids someday?" Charisma asked.

"Of course, we will," Trunks responded confidently. "I know Gohan can do it. And I'll be there to help him."

Charisma looked over at him and pointed a finger to herself. "And what about me?"

Trunks hesitated for a moment but looked at her and smiled. "You'll be there to help us, too, right?"

Charisma's face filled with a big smile. "Of course! I know the three of us can do it!" She looked up at the sky and watched as the fluffy white clouds drifted by. "If there's anyone in this world that can defeat those Androids," Charisma looked back at Trunks and grinned. "…it's definitely you!"

Trunks' turned his face quickly away from her in an attempt to hide the warm blush that spread across his cheeks. Charisma was always giving him encouragement, ever since he could remember. He wasn't sure why such simple words caused him to feel so embarrassed now. At the same time, there was something about her earnest smile that made him feel like anything was possible.

"And when that happens," she said softly. "We'll be able to go outside whenever we want to. We'll be able to go to school and make friends and maybe someday I'll get a boyfriend…" Trunks winced at that last sentence. "I can't wait for that day."

Sighing, Trunks looked out into the distance again. "Me either."

"We'll be there to see the future world together, Trunks," she said sweetly. The blush on Trunks' cheeks never left, and now became warmer. He flinched a little when he felt Charisma's little hand suddenly grab onto his.

"…Y-yeah…"

"Kids?! Where are you? It's time to eat!" Before any one of them could say another word, Bulma's voice echoed throughout the house.

Charisma and Trunks exchanged a worried glance and hurried onto their feet to race inside before Bulma could notice that they were gone.

"There you are," she said with a smile as she found Charisma and Trunks innocently playing with Charisma's dolls in his bedroom. "It's time for dinner and then we've got to clean up and get ready for bed."

"Okay!" The children said innocently in unison.

...

Charisma awoke the next morning to the sound of her father's voice down the hall in the main room. Her small blue eyes fluttered at the feeling of the sunlight stinging them from the window. Letting out a hearty yawn, she sat up in bed and stretched her arms above her head. She glanced momentarily at Trunks who slept beside her, drooling and snoring loudly.

Charisma covered her mouth to suppress a giggle and began making her way off the bed. The floor was cold against her bare feet, and she stumbled quietly over to the door and opened it carefully.

"Time machine?" she heard her father's voice.

"Yes, that's what I've been working on," Bulma replied with a deep sigh as she stood from her seat. Charisma stood against the wall of the hallway to hear their conversation. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think I'm finally getting closer to figuring out a way to travel back into the past and find a way to disable the Androids."

Mino shook his head in disbelief. "It's a long shot, for sure. I don't know what good that would do us, anyway. Don't you think it's more important to put your efforts on something that will actually make a difference?"

"What else could I possibly do? Without knowing the base of their designs, I can't even begin to find a way to disable their systems any other way."

"I know," he replied with a sigh. "But I've been working on building that state-of-the-art bunker. It might not be a solution, but it will help many people survive until we can come up with a way out."

"The bunker is definitely a good idea," Bulma agreed. "But trust me, I feel it in my heart that this time machine can make a difference. But it could be years before I even come close to completing it on my own. That's why I'm asking you to please help me."

"Bulma," he said softly. "You're an extremely intelligent person, and I'm honored that you're asking for my help. I don't mind helping you at all, but I can't waste my time or resources on something that I don't believe will work."

The room fell silent for a long moment and a feeling of heavy tension filled the air. Charisma's eyes fell sadly to the ground and began slinking her way back to the bedroom.

"…I understand," Bulma finally said, her eyes low with disappointment. "I know it's crazy but I'm going to keep working on it. You'll see."

Even though she was forced to remain alone in her work, Bulma became that much more determined to finish her time machine. It had been years since she'd started, but even now she was still far from being finished. Bulma didn't reveal her ideas to anyone else, even to Gohan as he came to visit often to spar with Trunks and Charisma.

Sure enough, Gohan's training with the children intensified as time went by, especially with Trunks.

"He has a lot of potential," Gohan told Bulma one day. "It's incredible that someone at his age could have so much power."

"Well…he is Vegeta's son after all," she replied, her voice tinged with a mix of pride and sadness.

Gohan trained with Charisma as well as she was beginning to show her own potential. Being only a human child, however, her power was far behind Trunks' and Gohan could only show her so much. Charisma learned how to fly, although she had few chances to do so, and her mother strictly forbade her from flying indoors. He also taught her how to fire ki blasts, but she had a hard time controlling them and couldn't seem to take hold of her own power.

"I know I'm just a girl," Charisma told him during one of their training matches. "I'm not a Saiyan like you or Trunks. But I want to be able to fight, too! I want to help you guys fight those Androids…"

"I know, Charisma," Gohan said softly. "But the best thing you can do for us is stay safe and support us, no matter what. Even if we can't take you into battle with us…please stay behind and cheer for us, all right?"

Charisma frowned but nodded her head in resignation. She felt herself inwardly swoon at Gohan's friendly and reassuring smile. It was a little embarrassing, but she brushed the feeling off. "Of course!" she replied brightly.

Charisma, although young, knew that Gohan wasn't training her with the same fervor as he'd been training Trunks with. However, she never really understood the implications of being a Saiyan compared to being a mere human. She never understood that no matter what, she'd never be able to catch up to Trunks, not even in her dreams. But she wanted to be her best and to do everything in her power to help defeat the Androids.

...

Even though he was a child, Trunks was serious when it came to completing his training with Gohan. Gohan was already trying to teach him to tap into his inner power and become a Super Saiyan despite Trunks' young age. The notion of a child reaching the Super Saiyan level was insane at best, but Gohan put his complete hope on the shoulders of this boy.

After an intense training session, Gohan and Trunks sat outside on a peaceful mountain side, listening to the sounds of the creek that ran nearby.

"I don't know if I can do it," Trunks said as he wiped sweat from his forehead. "What if I'm still not strong enough? I'm only a kid…there's no way I can ever be as strong as you, Gohan."

"Stop thinking like that," Gohan scolded him. "Once you lose hope in yourself, it's all over."

Trunks frowned deeply.

"Tell me, what do you want the most?" Gohan asked him.

"Me?"

"Yeah…what do you want? What do you want most in this world?"

Trunks stared straight ahead silently as he thought about the question. "…I want to rid the world of the Androids…"

"Why do you want that?"

"Why?" he replied, as if it was the dumbest question ever. "Because if I do that then Mom will be happy. And so many lives will be saved. We can rebuild the world when the Androids are gone and not live in fear anymore."

Trunks thought back to Charisma's smiling face. 'If anyone can beat those Androids," her voice echoed in his mind. "It's definitely you!'

Trunks shut his eyes. "And…I want to make a world where…Charisma can smile…"

Gohan stared down at him with a huge toothy grin. Trunks looked up at him and realized what he'd said. "Ugh… don't tell anyone I said that!" he mumbled as he blushed harshly. Gohan laughed heartily, causing Trunks' cheeks to burn even brighter.

"Don't worry…" Gohan finally replied. "…just remember that when you're fighting the Androids, all right? Trust me. That is where you will find your strength."

...

Times of smiles and joy seemed far and few in between. The constant fear that each person felt kept everyone's smiles from being their brightest. Despite this, Charisma and Trunks found comfort and joy in training with Gohan, and if nothing else, in each other.

Charisma, once again, spent the night over at Trunks' house on a cool autumn day. Kaylei and Mino were becoming more reluctant to let her go very often, as the Android attacks seem to be happening more frequently lately. Today was her birthday, however, and they could see clearly in her eyes the love she had for Trunks and Bulma. Allowing her time to spend with her best friend on her special day would be the best gift they could give her, seeing as they couldn't give her anything else.

Bulma made sure to celebrate the day with as much food and fun as possible, even if the house was only filled with the children and herself. Mino had once again disappeared, and Kaylei was feeling under the weather. Bulma didn't mind watching after Charisma at all, either. The little girl had found a way into her heart like a daughter she'd never had.

Charisma cheered as Bulma placed a yummy looking strawberry cake on the table. The trio had finished eating their dinner and were eager for the dessert.

"I've smelled this cake all day," Trunks said with his mouth watering. "I can't wait to actually taste it!"

"It looks so pretty," Charisma said happily. "I love strawberries, too!"

"Wait!" Bulma said, interrupting them and causing their smiles to disappear. "Before we eat the cake, I want Charisma to open her gift…"

"Gift?" Charisma's eyes glossed over with anticipation. "You got me a gift?"

"Trunks did," Bulma grinned smoothly and pointed at him.

Charisma tossed a tender look at him, and he could barely look back at her. His eyes darted around the room.

'Stop looking at me like that,' he thought as his expression became especially flustered.

"Hey…" he finally stammered. "H-hold out your hand and close your eyes…"

Charisma grinned and was giddy with excitement, but she obeyed. "It's cold…" she giggled when she felt Trunks place something in there. Slowly opening her eyes, Charisma noticed a gleam in her hand.

"A bracelet!" she exclaimed. "It's so pretty!"

"It's actually a charm bracelet," Bulma said, grabbing on to it and placing it on Charisma's small wrist. "It's a little big on you now, so you must be careful with it. But you'll keep growing and it'll fit you right when you grow older."

"Is that a strawberry?" Charisma asked, touching the small and only charm on the bracelet.

"Yes, it is," Bulma replied. "Trunks picked it out especially for you…"

Trunks lowered his head. Charisma's smile could barely fit on her face.

"How cool…" she cooed. "Thanks a lot, Aunt Bulma!" Charisma jumped off her seat and went over to hug Bulma. "And you, too, of course, Trunks…" Charisma went over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"…you're welcome…" he mumbled, completely embarrassed.

Bulma chuckled and began snapping pictures with her camera. "Happy birthday, Charisma!"

...

Even though their parents tried to shelter them as much as possible, the harsh reality of the gloomy life they lived was starting to become more apparent to the children. Trunks spent more time alone as Bulma spent more time working on her time machine. His only company would be Gohan and Charisma, but even her visits slowly became scarce.

Charisma and Kaylei were seeing less of Mino as time went by. He would disappear for days at a time and not even say where he was going. Until one day, after having disappeared for more than a week, he suddenly showed up in their house.

Noting Charisma and Kaylei's sad but relieved expressions, he exclaimed, "Everything is going to be okay, my girls."

"What are you talking about?" Kaylei replied feeling agitated. "Why do you keep disappearing?"

"I've been working very hard and finally everything is set," he replied calmly. Kaylei looked at him with confusion. "We're moving as soon as possible."

Charisma gasped, her eyes wide and her lips trembled. "M-moving?"

"Yes. We'll be safer where we're going, so you don't have to worry about the Androids anymore."

"What does he mean? Moving?" Charisma turned to her mother.

Everything that happened next was like a blur and Charisma could only helplessly stand by and watch. Mino and Kaylei brought out a few suitcases and loaded them up with clothing and supplies. The furniture remained in the house, however, as well as most of the photos and ornaments that hung on the dingy walls.

"…I don't like this…" Charisma said to herself as she watched them scurrying frantically around the house.

The following day, Mino took his family over to the Briefs house to give them the news before departing.

"You're moving?!" Bulma exclaimed. "Already? This is so sudden!"

"I know, but it's what's best," Mino said. He approached her and looked into her eyes with concern. "Please…please come and join us. Pack up and take Trunks and we'll all live safely in the bunker. It's all we can do for now…"

Bulma's eyes travelled from Mino, to Kaylei, and to Charisma's sad expression and trembling lips. Bulma was sure she wouldn't ever forget that face. Her heart sank as she softly bit her lip in silent frustration, but she shook her head and politely refused.

"I'm glad that you were able to succeed in building the bunker," she said gently. "And you'll save a lot of lives this way. But I want to keep working on my time machine. I know it sounds crazy, but I believe in this with all my heart. I have to keep working on it. The solution is nearby. I just know it."

"But that's crazy!" Kaylei protested. "You'll be safer where we're going! What about Trunks?"

"We'll be fine, trust me," Bulma reassured her. "This is important to me. And I don't want to leave my house. It's falling apart, but it's my home. All my father's greatest inventions are still here. I can't just leave them behind…"

Mino and Kaylei looked at each other and shared the same dismal expression.

"Please take care of yourselves," Mino finally said. "You're welcome to join us if you change your mind…"

"Thank you," Bulma said. She walked up to Charisma and patted her on her head. "Be good to your parents, all right? Keep an eye out on your father, too, so he doesn't keep disappearing."

Charisma's eyes filled with tears, and she squeezed tightly at the teddy bear in her arms. "I don't want to leave you, Aunt Bulma. Why won't you come with us?"

"I'll join you guys someday," Bulma replied with a sigh. "I promise, all right? Once the Androids are gone…it won't be long now."

Trunks had been sleeping when the sound of loud voices awoke him. He hazily stumbled into the hallway and down towards the main room.

"What's going on?" he asked as he appeared at the doorway and rubbed his eyes.

Charisma ran up to him and hugged him, nearly knocking him over. "Trunks…I'm moving away…" she cried. "…g-good-bye…"

Trunks' eyes opened wide. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what was going on. "…moving away?"

The adults watched quietly as they stood together, still in an embrace, for a few minutes before Kaylei carefully stepped up. No one in the room wanted to break them apart. They knew this would be harder on the children than on anyone else. They'd been best friends since they were babies. Trunks was Charisma's only real friend and Trunks had taken to heart the job of protecting Charisma like a brother would and always being there for her. Now, this harsh and nightmarish world was tearing them apart.

"We have to go now, Charisma," she said gently. "Trunks…take care of your mother, okay?"

Trunks looked up at her and nodded as Kaylei pried Charisma off him. Charisma's sobs became louder and rang through his ears and her face, soaked in more tears than he'd ever seen, hurt him more than he understood.

He would never forget it.

He could only watch helplessly as Charisma left the house, clutching on to her mother's hand and her teddy bear, waving goodbye to him all the while until she disappeared out the door.

Bulma let out a sad sigh and looked over at Trunks. He stood there in shock and confusion. She felt her heart break more and walked over.

"…what happened, Mom?" he asked.

"They're moving somewhere safer," Bulma gently explained and ran her fingers through his hair affectionately. "They're going to be okay. Charisma's going to be safe from the Androids now."

Trunks felt numb, still struggling to process what was happening. He looked up at his mother. "…are we going to see them again? Will Charisma come back to visit us again?"

Bulma looked up at and at the door. "Someday…I promise…"