Chapter 22
Final Battle part 2
Disclaimer: I could barely write this story: I don't own Dragonball Z
A/N: YES IM STILL ALIVE! Sorry guys that it took so long! This is the final chapter and a warning: YES IT DOES SUCK! But still, try to enjoy
Holy shit holy shit holy shit, Vegeta thought frantically, his grip tightening on Bulma. Bulma was still, like a frozen statue at his side, tensing with unease. He felt as though her mind had stopped in fear.
The monster opened its jaws, its almost human like face stretching into madness. Its crimson eyes narrowed, gray hands flexing underneath fins that spread over its shoulders like wings. The hands were flattened out to be in the shape of scythes. Its feet were webbed with thin membrane, probably for easier movement. When it snarled, its teeth were evenly into points, the tongue was forked and slid easily in between the teeth. Another metallic screech echoed through the waters.
It was no leviathan. It only wore the skin of a leviathan. The poor body of...whatever it used to be was alienated into the appearance of half-leviathan and half-human.. Vegeta grimaced. By the way it acted, it seemed only part of the Arkaigosai.
For a brief moment, he saw a flash of pain and fear shoot through the eyes of the leviathan, but then its crimson eyes were once again glazed over with bloodlust.
Another screech passed through the waters. It stared at them, not conceiving anything that it saw, its face was expressionless. It bent its body as though it were a bow and shot, tearing through the waves, slipping in between the waters easily as though the water was its second skin.
Vegeta shot backward, alarmed at how fast it moved. As it screeched, Vegeta's sensitive ears burned from the intense sound as it swam closer. It didn't swim, nor did it move its limbs, but just shot through the water like lightning. Its scythe-like hands swiped at Bulma, nearly cutting off her hand.
This action seemed to wake Bulma up. She looked at Vegeta, nodding, pried his hand loose of her shoulders. Instantly the magic barrier around her took over as she started rising to the surface. Vegeta watched her carefully as her hands glowed a bright blue aura and shot at the creature. Vegeta swam to her and caught her again, his hand clutching at her waist, anchoring her down.
The creature twisted around and backward, easily dodging the attack. Instantly it shot forward, its eyes burning for revenge. Vegeta drew his arm back for an attack, but Bulma waved her hand at him.
Scowling, he hesitantly lowered his hand.
It stared at Bulma, eyes burning. Slowly, her lips moved and her magik began to work, a silver spell weaving on her lips. The creature tensed and trembled, listening to the keen sounds only it heard. Vegeta strained his ears to attempt to hear what she was saying, but all he heard was rushing water past his ears.
Finally the creature's crimson eyes seemed to...open. Shocked, it stared at its scythe hands and twisted around as if to stare at himself. Its eyes were more open, more human-like, gray and filled with emotion. It stared at Bulma, as though something like burning respect came into its eyes. It approached them now, awkwardly.
Vegeta's nails dug into Bulma's shoulder, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Then clear understanding of its words rippled through the waters. "Thank you, Orgathan," it said, fluidly pronouncing the language clearly. Her face softened and she nodded, her lips moving again in that silent language that Vegeta couldn't understand.
Nodding, it looked at them, over its shoulder and into the blackness of the waters. Then the blackness cleared from the waters, the creature was gone, and the black aura of the poison cleared from Vegeta's chest, the lift of the burden easing him.
Bulma nodded to Vegeta, her eyes clouded with that dark mystery of hers. He began swimming up to the surface, and suddenly it seemed like what had occurred never happened.
---
Kakarot spat a mouthful of blood onto the bloody tiles of the floor. His hair waved around his head in flames of gold, his emerald eyes challenging Frieza. Weakly, he stood tall and straight, despite the fact that blood was flowing freely on his body.
Freiza smirked at him. "Why, Kakarot," his voice said, mocking Kakarot, "I had assumed that the Super Saiyan was the most legendary form that one could know. Obviously, you haven't lived up to that title."
He couldn't understand, he was practically bleeding to death and he was mostly worn out from the battle. Leaning against the wall for support, he studied his opponent again. He didn't even have a scratch on him, after all this time! That's impossible, he told himself, unless... No. For Frieza to be immortal was inconceivable plus would be like accepting his defeat.
His hand formed a fist and he charged again, screaming. Frieza held out his finger and a small ki ball shot, hitting Kakarot at the collarbone. He flew backward and he felt his left arm shatter as he landed on it...the wrong way. Grimacing, he stood, and felt his left hand dangling at his side, beyond his control.
He heard a shout from behind him. He stood and glanced behind him, shocked to find three witnesses there.
A young half-icejin stood there, probably a few years younger than Vegeta and Kakarot, the scar running through his eyes was wrinkled as he glared at Kakarot with venomous hatred that nearly blew him away. A young girl that shared his appearance stood next to his side, wearing a billowing black cloak, her glassy eyes having unbelievable wisdom for her young age. To the side of her was a young boy with lavender colored hair, his eyes dull in contrast and his features reminding him of someone oddly familiar... Vegeta.
"Trunks?" Kakarot whispered, his eyes drilling into the boy. His voice was faint and he prayed with all of his power that the boy would not answer.
The boy looked up slowly, his gaze not quite connecting with his. The boy squinted his blue eyes and blinked slowly. "Kakarot...?" He whispered, hoarsely. "Aren't you Goten's father?"
Kakarot flinched at the name of his son. So it was true. His son was here, imprisoned somewhere. It drilled him in the heart, cutting him in half at realization. Even his broken left arm's pain was nothing compared to the shock he was experiencing.
So if Goten's here...that means Gohan is truly dead.
When the blows of the next hit came, Kakarot didn't see or feel them.
---
Trunks stood, awkwardly watching Kakarot, Goten's father, fight before him. It flashed before his view that he didn't know where his companion was and he looked up at (Malui? Was his name?) to see if he had the slightest concern. He was shocked to find him shaking in anger, his eyes livid on what he saw before him.
Celi stood, her fingers interlocking with each other, her glassy eyes uncertain at the scene before them. "We told you what to do," she said calmly to Trunks. "It depends…if you are wanting to go through with it."
Trunks stood there, staring at the monster of the legends, the monster that fought Goten's father, the monster that took him away from his homeland, and apparently the monster that took his father away from him. He nodded, slowly but surely. "I'm sure." He said confidently.
Malui's hand rested on his back in an almost brotherly fashion. "Be careful," he said in a low voice. "The slightest mistake can throw off the entire spell."
Celi's eyes were like basins of tears as she took out a paintbrush from her cloak. Without flinching she drew one of her darts along the inside of her arm. Fresh blood poured out onto the floor. Slowly she drew the brush along the blood and encircled it around in intricate patterns around Trunks.
Malui stood on the side, his face fallen and his eyes averted from Trunks, focused on the battle. Of course, both were too busy to see what was going on behind them.
When Celi had completed the binding circle, she blew a misty breath along her arm, the mist sealing up the wound. Her look towards Trunks was sympathizing as she took out a second, smaller brush. Trunks removed his shirt and slowly, her artwork covered him as well, halfway over his face, curling over his small bulk of a body. It reminded him of the vines he had once tangled himself into when he was younger.
Trunks let his eyes trail over the room once more, over the blood, over the pain that was written on the walls. Finally, hand glowing with his bluish-green aura, he crouched and pressed his hand over the binding circle. The blood-written mark warped into him, absorbing his aura with the light. Instantly the mark on his body caught the light and glowed as well. His body tingled with this strange new power.
His small trembling voice began chanting the words he had memorized from Celi. In his mind he thought of his father, the father he had never known. In his heart, he thought about his mother, her soft voice and her gentle touch. In his eyes he saw nothing but pain and sorrow in front of him and knew what he was doing.
As his chanting continued, the aura lit circling binds twisted around him in patterns and flashed words and symbols that were foreign to him. Soon he couldn't see anything but the blinding that lit aura in the room.
As his trembling voice continued, it deepened, widened until he could have sworn that there was someone else chanting along with him.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the vague figures of his mother rising from the pool of water. He saw her face in a mixture of confusion, the concern. Then fear that lit up her face and filled the room. Her lips opened and let out a scream that shattered the room.
"TRUNKS! NOO—!"
Too late apparently, as his sense of being vanished, warping into the darkness.
---
Vegeta held onto Bulma as tears flooded her eyes. Bent over, she covered her face with her hands and openly sobbed. He caught the sight of Malui, his killer, on the edge of the room and gave him a sharp glare. The Lea'ohto stared coolly at him in response. "What has he done…?"He whispered urgently to her.
Bulma's eyes were knotted down with concentration, and confusion, hot angry tears streaming down the sides. She pointed to the girl, standing beside Malui, her arms dangling awkwardly at her sides. "You!" She snarled, almost hurling the words. The girl stared at her, wide-eyed.
"What did you tell him?" She screamed. "What did you do!"
Malui, the lea'ohto, stepped protectively in front of the girl in what Vegeta recognized as brotherly love. "He's going to save us," he spoke with obvious authority. "Sacrifices must be made. Celi told him and he agreed."
She gestured frantically at the streaming light in the center of the room. She could no longer see her son. "Sacrifices?" She spat. "Does he even know what he's doing!" Lightning shook behind her blue eyes.
Celi, the younger lea'ohto, spoke up then, "He was willing."
"Willing! More like blinded!" Vegeta could sense how angry Bulma was, but he also felt the bitter silence and grief pouring from her and out into the open.
There was more she had wanted to say, but the power radiating from her son blew her voice away.
Vegeta let his gaze wander around the room. Kakarot stood to the side, left arm broken and dangling at his side with the other to shield his eyes. Were there…tears in his eyes? It struck him oddly at the golden hair around his head, the way his emerald eyes sparked with familiar power. So…he was telling the truth. The crumpled bodies of Korn and Vegetsa were near him, not too far from each other. But where was Frieza! He strained his eyes to see into the light but could not find him. Did he simply vanish? Or did he run away in cowardly fear? His eyes trailed to the source of light once more.
His guess was, his firstborn was in there. Beyond the sound shrieking lights, he heard indistinct screaming of pain. Unknown anger filled him. He lifted his hands up to attack, enraged by his son's pain, but Bulma stopped him. He glared at her, confused and outraged. "It is…too late." She whispered.
The howling of power came to pass the lights slowly dimmed.
Then the figure was visible from within the binding circle. He was tall, lean, muscular, and leaning over with exhaustion of power. Vegeta was overwhelmed by the rate of his power, dangerously lingering near his own.
"Is that our son?" Vegeta whispered to Bulma.
Bulma hesitated. "No longer," she finally said.
The smoke and mist cleared, the figure straightened. His lean, pale body was covered with the same marks that Trunks had on him, winding over his face, his arms and his chest. His hair was somewhat damp and limp and his eyes connected with Bulma's, the electrifying blue-green, striking her with as a familiar figure in her mind. "Mother," he said calmly, "have you forgotten me?"
Bulma stared.
Finally, in a hoarse voice, she said, "You're that Lea'ohto that died that day."
The smoke slowly cleared. Kakarot stared at the stranger, gaping. Vegeta squinted, confused. Bulma stood hands over her mouth, gasping silently.
He looked exactly like the Trunks that stood there minutes ago. His gaze matched their son's, like the half-moons that gleamed in his eyes to his lavender hair that flipped in front of his eyes. He was evenly muscled.
Yet in the same sense that this stranger was his son, he was also not his son.
There was a side to him that Vegeta felt, a darker side. The power that pulsed through him was vaguely familiar. With horror, he realized that the power was very much like his own. There was still something strange about him. Some hidden sadness behind that sheepish grin.
Even though he stood there, grinning, Vegeta sensed some small half of him mourning.
Vegeta spoke quietly, "You're that man I saw in hell."
Trunks lips straightened into a stern line. "That I will not deny, father," he uttered the word, as though tasting it for the first time.
Vegeta saw sudden alikeness from him to himself, seeing the harsh lines and suddenly he found himself staring into a reflection of himself. Every line in his face, every frown, every quirk of his eyebrows was in exactness to himself. He scowled angrily, not fully understanding his emotions, or the way his chest swelled in...pride?
Bulma whispered, looking around, "Where is Trunks?"
"I am Trunks," he said simply.
She stood and walked over to him, her clothing shimmering of the water that clung to her, her hair perfectly straight and wet. Her eyes poured into him and she spoke, another language sliding off her tongue as easily as water. The younger girl, Celi Malui had called her, seemed to understand and keenly listened but the rest of the room remained silent as Bulma poured out her frantic words in this new tongue.
Trunks answered her, his deeper voice rippling across the room and bouncing off the walls. She stiffened and Vegeta saw her face pale. "Trunks..." she whispered. Her voice sounded strangled and grieving, like the way Vegeta had seen a wolf howl endlessly over its dead newborn, the sounds of agony and pain were unlike any he had heard before. Stumbling backward, her back hit against the wall and her eyes looked upward, blank and lifeless. Vegeta touched her hand but she made no movement to reply.
"So where is he?" Vegeta growled. "My son."
Trunks blinked at him and said coolly, "I am your son."
Vegeta straightened and mentally compared himself with him. Obviously, his son was much taller than him, but his face was almost exactly in alikeness to his. "You're not my son," he snarled. "My son is of 2555 sunsets." (seven years)
Trunks sighed and said, "In short, father, I am your son from the future. I attempted to kill Malui," he jerked his head towards the lea'ohto, "believing that he was my enemy then. I failed and he killed me mercilessly." Vegeta's eyes jerked to the movement as Malui stiffened suddenly at the word. "I made a deal with Fate. She said that I would be able to return to life if I had a vessel to exchange places with because I was not in this lifetime. The only one suitable for that was my...younger self. I contacted Malui and several other followers of the Lea'ohtos. The secret to killing the icejins laid with me for I have seen the future and the archives in which their defeat is recorded. So I became their leader and I...exchanged places with your younger son."
Vegeta's face darkened. "That doesn't explain where he is."
Trunks' face turned grim. Vegeta saw a flash of regret go through his eyes. "He is in hell, the underworld now. He exchanged places with me for the better good."
Vegeta let out a roar. "HOW DARE YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A CHILD LIKE HIM!" Vegeta had never felt so angry...it was almost like a second being inside of him was being torn out of his flesh. The pain, agony and endless anger overpowered him as he shook, glaring at the young man who took his son's place. The ground shook, almost as if in reverence of him.
The man stiffened and his face fell.
Malui stood and snarled, baring his teeth like a caged animal. "How dare you accuse our leader! He is to free all of us from Freiza's curse!" Malui seemed to want to continue but Trunks lifted his hand and Malui went silent.
Vegeta noticed this. "So, you gained subordinates of icejins," his face furrowed down into an accusing glare. Malui stood again, ready to defy the saiyan but Trunks held his hand up again, silencing him. "He has every right to accuse me," he said softly, "for I am every right to be guilty."
Vegeta glowered angrily, feeling like he was being lectured like a child. Instead of continuing his endless anger, he crouched next to Bulma, looking into her bleak eyes, stroking her damp hair and murmuring in her ear, still glaring angrily at Trunks. Trunks' face scrunched up into a mixture of emotion on his face, one plain to see was in protectiveness of his mother.
Suddenly Trunks ran towards him, sword in hand, charging with sudden visible anger and a yell on his lips. Vegeta stood, laughing. "So you wish to fight me, son?" He said, mockingly.
But his son charged past him to Vegeta's surprise and attacked whatever was behind him. A shattering scream was heard from Trunks. Vegeta whipped around to see Frieza holding Trunks' sword and Trunks gripping his bleeding arm. Once again, that same feeling overrode Vegeta's common sense as he yelled and charged, flying
angrily at the sight of his son's blood. Kakarot had sense that the battle was continuing and charged as well, his left arm still dangling limply at his side.
Celi, on the sidelines, took notice of this and spun her hand in a quick spell and suddenly, feeling and blood began rushing back to Kakarot's arm. He glanced at Celi with gratitude and she smiled slightly in response.
Vegeta rushed into Freiza, his hand striking a diagonal line across the icejin. The icejin laughed at him and disappeared, the sword falling to the ground. Vegeta pushed his son aside, standing in front of him protectively in a fatherlike way. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bulma stand, shaky still. "Don't stand!" He yelled.
"But I need to tell you something!" she pleaded. He saw the same flash of truth in her eyes. He almost died from the fear gleaming through her irises.
"It can wait!" He said, taking the full blow of Freiza's attack as he protected his son, completely shielding Trunks from the blow of the attack. He felt pain but somehow it wasn't important, he only became more enraged. Kakarot slammed into Freiza, his body still aglow with the super saiyan power.
Vegeta chuckled at the memory. Freiza noticed. "What's the matter, monkey-prince? Can't protect your own family, much less yourself?" He jeered. "No Freiza," Vegeta uttered the name darkly. "You haven't realized the full potential of a saiyan, or much less...the saiyan prince."
He let out a startling yell, the scream tearing apart at his soul as he wrenched out his full power. Lightning lined his black hair and gleamed, blinding the room as his startling hair gleamed and brightened into gold. His dark eyes shook with quaking power as Kakarot smirked as another super saiyan joined him.
Bulma stood on the sidelines, watching him form. It won't work. Even a super saiyan won't do anything. But still, she couldn't help but stare as the lights dimmed and she could see him.
And there was nothing in her vocabulary that could describe him. He was dazzling, gorgeous; from the way his golden hair stood and bristled to the way his emerald eyes sparked and the way his muscles tensed dangerously. He looked like an enormous tamed cat—though she probably shouldn't have said tamed. And the way he turned around to give Bulma a sharp smirk—she felt like he had taken her heart and squeezed it. Her heart fluttered and she lost her breath, her train of thought vanishing. I'm smitten, she thought to herself.
"Vegeta…" she whispered.
All three men were locked into the battle, angrily fighting the creature that had turned all of their lives into hell. They couldn't have heard her even if she had tried to scream.
The impact of Freiza's blow sent Vegeta sprawling backwards. Blood soaked through his golden hair, covering most of his forehead. "Vegeta!" She screamed.
He didn't seem to hear her or acknowledge her as he leapt back into the fray. It was like he took a sword and pierced her heart.
"Trunks! Goku! Vegeta! Listen to me!" Your fighting is useless!
Freiza laughed and said, "They can't hear you, Bulma, perhaps you should shout louder!"
He was right, he probably blocked off their hearing to him. Celi glanced at Bulma as she unsheathed Malui's sword from its case. He watched her, perfectly calm as though he didn't mind.
Taking the sword by the hilt she took it and drove it through her hand. Her blood-curdling scream seemed to awaken the three.
"Bulma! You—!" Vegeta's eyes widened in concern and he felt a hand grab his stomach and twist it. Bulma—she…what is she doing?
"Listen to me! All of you!" Freiza let out a wild cry of anger but no one seemed to hear him. She pointed a finger at the gigantic lizard and snarled, "He's not real! He's just an illusion, a remnant of the past being cast by the main computer!"
Each froze instantly.
Trunks spoke first, blood frothing from his lips, "That's not possible. I've seen the future—I know what was going to happen!"
In a mournful voice, she answered, "Those archives were what the remainder of the Orgathans had written. You had come and so rewrite the history." She stared at him for a long time. In a harsh voice, she whispered, "This is why foreseeing the future or attempting to mess with time is so dangerous. Now, in this time, you cease to exist."
Trunks stiffened. "I came back for you!" He cried.
The entire room stiffened at his response. "I came back because you died in my time! I wanted to make sure that you didn't. That way you would continue to survive." He looked down and whispered, "I hadn't even known who my own father was."
Bulma responded, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't change the rules. In this time, your penalty would be death."
Trunks stiffened and didn't answer.
Vegeta finally began to understand. "Then what is that…thing we fight!" He screamed, pointing at Freiza.
"An illusion." Wincing, she drew the sword back through her hand and said, "Watch and believe that he isn't there." With a precise arm, she threw the sword and it fell through Freiza…and before their eyes he vanished. Quietly, Bulma said, "The icejins have been dead for more than a few decades. They left their illusions so in one way they would continue living in the thing that they did best, torture people. Their illusions were also aided by the fact that we coninued to believe that they exist, and our belief made them have more existence."
Trunks, aghast, whispered, "What have I done…"
Goku opened his mouth and closed it, like a gasping fish. Vegeta looked up at the ceiling and whispered, "What fools we have become."
Celi clung to Malui who laid a hand on her head.
"You needn't be afraid."
They all stiffened at the voice, as angelic and peaceful it was.
A light entered the room from above, seemingly. The tiles lit up and the entire room, covered in blood, seemed to sing. Two figures vaporized in the center of the light.
"You needn't be afraid. Your son is safe with me."
Bulma's eyes widened and she let out an astonished gasp. "Fate! You have…blessed us with your presence!"
The light dimmed and they could see the girl with gold-spun hair and eyes full of…there was no color to describe it. Eyes full of light? She wore a simple white dress that seemed to accent her beauty.
She giggled.
"You needn't call me Fate. I am not Fate, nor am I the goddess you have made me."
The room was silent. Bulma was watching with wide blue eyes, her mouth slightly open.
"My name is Aurora. I am no goddess, just a human."
She smiled and gently waved to the person hiding behind her. "Come on out, it's your friends, they want to see you." The figure behind her stiffened and shyly came out.
"Trunks!" Celi cried, her body jerking out from surprise.
He was Trunks, yet he wasn't. There was something different about him. Something more powerful. The same light that filled Aurora's eyes seemed to fill his and he seemed…more content.
Bulma seemed to rush forward in an instant but Trunks called out, "I am still dead, mother. You can't touch me." Tears filled her eyes and she choked.
Aurora shook her head. "Your son is brave. There is no one who would have sacrificed himself. So in exchange, he stays with me now and I'll train him to someday take my place."
Bulma didn't seem to protest. She nodded her head and whispered as she wiped her tears, "Thank you."
Trunks looked into the eyes of his father and said simply, "Thank you father. Thank you mother. Thank you all." He added to Goku, "Goten is safe. He's in the dungeon below."
Goku nodded and seemed greatly relieved.
"I'm sorry for what I have made you done," the future Trunks told him.
The current Trunks shook his head and said simply, "It was meant to be."
"Our time is short here. We must go. But do not assume that this is the last you will see of Trunks, I assure you, you will see him in the coming future."
The light vanished. Vegeta put his arm around Bulma's waist and said nothing, struck to silence by shock. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and whispered, "He's okay." Burying her face into his shoulder, she whispered more contentedly, "He's okay."
A/N: And I know that you guys are all mad at me for that really bad ending and I'm sorry. Go ahead, flame me, lol, I'm such a bad author I deserve it ( But pweez dont throw your chairs...
Just to reassure you guys, YES THERE IS AN EPILOGUE!