Disclaimer: Toei Animation, Bird Studios/Shueisha, Akira Toriyama, and FUNimation own all three Dragon Ball Series. If I owned them, which I don't, I'd be rich, which I'm not, and you'd be watching this fan fiction on TV, not reading it on a computer. Now, onto this story already!

Had to clean this chapter a little bit more...But at last I believe it ready to be read!


Chapter 1: A World Cleansed of Darkness

A strange noise filled the air as a small machine appeared in the sky, slowly landing on an enormous piece of a fallen building. As it landed, four legs extended from openings in the bottom of the machine, allowing it to stand on the building as its glass top slowly started to open.

A young man climbed out of the machine, setting his feet down on the broken building. He pushed the dangling strands of lavender from over his blue eyes, and beheld the shattered world that was his home.

Gray buildings lay collapsed and burning, strewn all across the area with thick plumes of black smoke rising from them.

The whole city had been completely destroyed.

He leapt off the building, landing at the very bottom of a crater. After pondering it for a moment, he recognized it as a blast crater, most definitely the handiwork of the artificial humans. He searched around the destroyed city. Dust was still descending as fire crackled in the distance. There was no hope for survivors, and even if, the merciless duo would have blasted any remaining citizens.

He lowered his head in despair and sighed deeply. After a moment or so he turned and took notice of another building: his home.

The battered building barely stood, most of the roof and walls had been beaten in, and laid inside the building itself. The building was little more than a steel skeleton, with bits and patches of its walls still intact here and there. He quickly rushed inside, running past broken glass, burning furniture and other flaming debris.

Within moments, he came across a metallic door that was mostly undamaged deep within the compound, and tapped several spots on a panel beside it. The panel made a strange mechanical noise and the door opened slightly, then the strange sound came again and it stopped.

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist into the panel destroying it, and the door came to life, sliding sideward into the wall. He ran through the door and down the stairs it led to, and eventually to another door, that remained perfectly unscathed.

He tapped a code into the panel aside this door, and this door opened without problem. He stepped in, and the door closed behind him.

The room behind this door was dark, and the boy clapped his hands twice, and a low hum sounded as the lights slowly shone their artificial light on the previously unlit room. His eyes quickly searched the room, but found no sign of life. After a moment, he stopped searching with his eyes, and began searching with his soul. Within seconds, he felt a small trace of life energy pulsing in the room. He rushed over, and found a woman curled up in a ball trembling wildly.

"Mom!" Shouted the boy in relief.

The woman slowly lifted her head and looked up at the young man. Her trembling lessened, but still she sat shaking due to such intense fear. Trunks felt a massive surge of anger flow through his veins. His body shook gently with all the rage bubbling within him.

The woman, seeing her son's rage, spoke softly. "Trunks…I'm fine, they didn't find me…Luckily they didn't bother to look."

Trunks relaxed a little, but still stood very tense, all that anger just waiting for him to let it out.

"The trip didn't do anything..." said Trunks a few moments, "But I don't understand! We destroyed the androids, why is our world still like this?"

His mother, after she felt her legs were strong enough to support her, tried to stand. Trunks outstretched his hand and she took hold of it, and he pulled her gently to her feet. Once standing, she pulled a chair out from under a table and sat down, sighing deeply.

She set her tired blue eyes on her son. "Trunks, it didn't work. I don't understand why, but it just didn't work. Maybe something went wrong after you left the past…" She sighed deeply. "Maybe we just weren't meant to have a future."

"Don't say that!" Yelled Trunks. "I'll make this all right...I'm strong enough now...You'll see...I'll make our world better with my own two hands!" With that, a brilliant gold flame erupted about him, corrupting his form, burning his lavender hair into erect, golden strands and warping his blue eyes into a bright turquoise.

Bulma's eyes widened. "Trunks! No!" His aura flared out. Bulma quickly covered her eyes to shield them from the intense light.

As the light began to die down, she lowered her hand, opening her eyes.

Trunks was gone.

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A young man hovered over an elderly man, grinning down at him. "You must've lived a long, rich and fulfilling life old man, only to end it like this. Its a shame really."

The female of the duo looked on, almost in disgust as she tucked a few blonde strands of hair behind her ears. "Just kill him Juunana."

"But it's fun to watch them squirm! Just look!" Juunana opened his palm wide, and a sphere of scarlet light formed, pulsing a few centimeters from the open hand.

"Ah!" Yelled the old one as he sat kneeling before Juunana. "Don't kill me...please!"

Juunana laughed and turned to his sister. "Do you hear that Juuhachi? The way he grovels is so pathetic."

He turned back to the old man. "Now, where was…" He paused and started looking around. "Where did that old human go?"

"Over here," shouted a new voice.

The two artificial humans turned and eyed a young man with golden hair, the old man sitting beside him.

"Earth has been terrorized long enough you monsters," said Trunks. "It stops now."

"Is that right little man?" Asked Juuhachi. She turned to her brother. "He wants to end our playtime Juunana. What do you think we should do about that?"

Juunana grinned. "I don't think we should have to stop having fun just because our friend here says we should. I say let the fun continue."

Juuhachi smiled. "Sounds good to me." She turned and looked at Trunks. "But what do we do about him? We can't possibly have any fun with him around."

"You're right sis," said Juunana. "We've let him live long enough." He faced Trunks, that dark grin still plastered on his face.

"Shut up and fight," spat Trunks.

"What did you say you little punk?" Juunana inched closer to the Super Saiyajin.

Juuhachi put her arm over her brother's chest, holding him back. "Relax Juunana. I want to do this."

Juunana relaxed a little. "Fine. But kill him, and make it painful."

Juuhachi grinned. "I intend to." She leapt into the air and flew at Trunks, fists balled and ready to strike.

Once on him, Juuhachi threw her fist out with all her strength.

Trunks easily dodged it and drove his fist into Juuhachi's gut. The artificial human's eyes went wide as the fist burst out of her back. Trunks pulled his arm back, a gaping hole now where Juuhachi's abdomen once was.

Trunks quickly spun and thrust his leg out, and drove his heel into Juuhachi's face.

She flew backward fast, sailing right past her brother.

Trunks growled and thrust his palm forward, unleashing an orb of golden.

Juuhachi flipped over and stopped her flight. Just as she righted herself, the ball struck her and exploded. When the dust cleared, there was nothing.

One down.

Juunana, in complete shock, stood there, gaping at Trunks.

He growled. "Damn you! You'll pay dearly for that!" Juunana fired two destructive balls of scarlet light at Trunks.

Trunks swatted both spheres away with ease as he cupped both hands at his sides, an erratic, sparking, purple orb growing between his palms.

Juunana growled. "Damned Saiyajin!" He flew at Trunks at full speed, firing blast after blast at Trunks, explosion after explosion occurring as each blast hit.

Juunana stopped his approach. "That should do it."

Dust clouds swirled about the spot Trunks just stood.

"Garlic Gun!"

"What? Oh s—" Were the last words that would ever pass Juunana's lips as an enormous stream of purple energy surged forth from dust clouds, and engulfed Juunana completely, his form dissolving in the power of the wave.

Trunks' scowl remained for a moment, his hands still set in the way that they released the wave.

Realization hit him.

The androids were finally gone!

His golden aura flared out as he soared up into the clouds.

"They're really gone! It's over! Woo hoo!"

He barrel rolled through the clouds, his golden aura gently licking the white fluff. His smile grew as he grew still. He looked downward toward Earth and let his aura flare out and flicker wildly as he set himself downward in a dive.

The air blurred as his heart pounded in his chest. The monsters that had been terrorizing Earth for two decades now… They were gone at long last!

Trunks pulled up at the last second, his aura dissipating as he gently lowered himself to the ground. His erect, golden mane fell down into lavender strands as he ran inside his battered house, flipping and cart wheeling his way over to the room his mother was held up in.

"Mom!" Came his gleeful call. "Mom! Its over! I did it! I got rid of them! Mom!" He ran into the lab, his mother sobbing quite hard. "Mom?"

She looked up, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Trunks? You're okay!" She leaped up from her chair and seized her son in an embrace. "I thought I was going to lose you! Don't ever do that again, you know how powerful—"

"I won't have to mom," interrupted Trunks. "The androids… they're…well, gone."

She looked up into her son's eyes, searching them. "What?" Came her voice very softly.

Trunks nodded. "I destroyed them both."

"How—"

"Back in the past… Well, my father trained me."

"Vegeta?" Asked his mother, wiping her eyes. "So…you met your father?"

He nodded again. "Yeah. A bit rough around the edges, but an okay guy once you get past that steely exterior."

She laughed a little at that.

Trunks smiled. "But let me tell you all about what went on in the past!" He motioned to a chair. "Have a seat mom, this may take a while."

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"And so that's what happened," finished Trunks, explaining all of what occurred in the past.

His mother blinked a few times, absorbing all the information. "So it was Gohan who ended up saving the world? Wow...but I guess that's no surprise, considering that he's Goku's son."

Her eyes were studying Trunks's face.

Trunks noticed her stare. "Umm… Something wrong mom?"

"No," She said, "But you look older than when you left."

"Yeah," said Trunks, "That Hyperbolic Time Chamber aged me. A whole year goes by in there while only one day passes out here."

"What? How can a year go by in one day?"

"I don't know," said Trunks shrugging, "But that's how the room works."

"Well, whatever," was her short response. "But more to the point, I'm glad that the past is all right, but what about our Earth? I mean I know you destroyed the androids, but the world is so battered at this point…"

"Oh…" Trunks furrowed his brow and pondered the situation. "How can we fix the world without the Dragon Balls..." His eyes went wide with realization. "But who says it has to be without the Dragon Balls?"

"What do you mean?" Asked his mother, "You know they…" she paused, not wanting to mention the death of a friend, "Well, how can we possibly use the Dragon Balls without a Namekian?"

"My point exactly," replied Trunks. "If it worked in the past, it can work here."

Bulma eyed her son confusedly. "What?"

"Dende."

"But how? You don't know where the Namekians went after they left earth."

Trunks grinned. "But I know how I can find out." He turned from her, and a white aura grew about him. "I said I'd make the world right with my own two hands, and I will."

His aura flared out again, and like before, when the brilliant light faded and Bulma could see, he was gone.

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A strange being whistled softly, gently pouring water out of a metal can, the droplets lightly cascading out of the can's nozzle and onto the awaiting plants below. The being's complexion was jet black; as were his eyes, and his lips were a bright red. Upon his head rested a white turban with a blue jewel at the point where the turban met his forehead. The being was adorned in an open red vest, white pants, and red shoes.

He sighed. "It's been so lonely up here without a guardian…" He stopped watering the vibrant flowers and began to walk towards the palace behind him, his feet silently treading over the hard marble surface.

Mr. Popo blinked and turned around, his eyes falling on a lavender haired young man.

"Hello there," said Mr. Popo. "What brings you up here Trunks?"

Trunks cocked an eyebrow. "How do you know who I am?"

Mr. Popo smiled. "I may not be Earth's guardian, but I do tend to look down every once in a while."

"Oh."

"Well? What brings you up here?"

"The Earth needs a new guardian."

Mr. Popo sighed. "I know that fact very well. But that still doesn't explain why you're up here, unless you…" Mr. Popo trailed off, and looked Trunks in the eyes. "You don't intend to become Earth's new guardian, do you?"

Trunks shook his head. "No. But I know someone who just might be able to fill that role."

Mr. Popo cocked an eyebrow. "And just who would that be?"

"A Namekian… His name is Dende."

"Is that so? Well where is he?"

"That's just it, I don't know where the Namekians are."

"Then how to you propose to bring this Dende here if you don't know where he is?"

"I don't know, to tell you the truth. I was hoping you could help me out there."

Mr. Popo shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot. I have about as much clue as to the Namekians are now as you do."

"Oh…"

"I believe I can help you out with that," Said a voice, seemingly from nowhere.

Trunks looked at Mr. Popo.

"That wasn't me." He smiled. "But I believe I know who it was." He looked to the sky. "Hello King Kai."

"Who?"

"Hello there Mr. Popo," said the voice. "I've been watching you Trunks. We all have."

Trunks cocked an eyebrow, a little confused. "Who are you? And what do you mean you've been watching me?"

"King Kai watches over our galaxy from the after life," explained Mr. Popo. "Much like the guardian of Earth watches over Earth from up above."

"So this King Kai is like the Kami of the galaxy?"

"Yup, pretty much," answered King Kai, a short laugh following. "But onto why I'm making this call." He paused.

"King Kai?" Asked Trunks, wondering why the talking had ceased.

"Wait darn you!" Said King Kai. "Have an ounce of patience will you?"

"What?"

"Oh sorry, I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to this Saiyajin that won't stop hounding me."

Trunks cocked an eyebrow. "Saiyajin?"

"Yes boy," snapped a different voice. "But not any pauper Saiyajin like the ones I'm surrounded by."

Trunks's eyes widened, his ears easily recognizing this voice. "Father?"

"Damn right," said Vegeta. "I saw you destroy those androids boy." He paused. "You do your Saiyajin heritage proud."

Trunks couldn't help but smile, a compliment from a man like Vegeta was far too rare not to enjoy.

"Vegeta!" Shouted King Kai. "Will you hurry up? I can't keep up such a long distance call forever!"

"I'll take as long as I want you—"

Silence.

Trunks looked at Mr. Popo. Mr. Popo shrugged.

"Now that that's settled," said King Kai. "We can get down to business."

"King Kai… How did you get my father to stop talking?"

"Well, you see, Lord Enma, the guy that sentences everyone that dies to heaven or to hell, sentenced Vegeta to hell at first. He spent a little more than half the time's he's been dead down there, until Goku convinced Enma to let Vegeta stay with me. Enma agreed that Vegeta could have his body returned to him and that he could live on my planet, but on the condition that I have full jurisdiction over Vegeta's body. Anytime Vegeta gets unruly with me, I can just strip him of his body and he'll be a helpless little soul."

"Wow… That's umm… A really good way to keep someone in check… But won't he attack you when you give him his body back?"

"That's what I have Goku and the others here for," said King Kai with a laugh. "Now, do you want to know how to get to New Namek or not?"

"You know where it is?"

King Kai laughed. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be a very good Kami now would I? Now as for where Namek is…" He relayed the exact coordinates to Trunks.

Trunks smiled. "Thanks King Kai."

"Don't mention it." The voice faded.

With that, Trunks leapt up into the sky and took off, flying back down to Earth.

Perhaps now that the Earth's sole guardian knew what to do, the Earth's restoration was not too far off as it may have seemed…


And that's chapter 1. How did you guys like it? Please review! Oh yeah, and just in case anyone decides to quote me on giving Trunks the Garlic Gun, well, I figured since he trained with Vegeta in the past, maybe Vegeta showed his son one of his favorite attacks. That's it for now... Later.