I'm becoming this
All I want to do
Is be more like me
And less like you
Linkin Park
Shortly all three were standing in a hospital waiting room. Trunks and Vegeta said all that needed to be said without words. The air was thick with anticipation and worry. The only sound Trunks could hear was Pan quietly telling Vegeta Jr. off for not letting anyone know where he was going. After that, everything to him was silent. The seconds shifted to minutes and minutes into hours. At seven hours, something happened. A doctor emerged from the cardiac department. Several had, but Trunks stood as if he knew this was it. This was the same doctor who had lived with Trunks and Bulma for five years.
"Trunks, Vegeta," he said, "you got her here in plenty of time. That was quick acting. But in the end…there was nothing anybody could have done. I'm afraid; Bulma Briefs is really gone this time. She's been dead for thirty minutes." Pan laid a hand on Trunks's arm. Vegeta Jr.'s blood drained from his face while Goku Jr. slumped to the floor. Trunks was numb. He couldn't feel. He had heard the words from miles away. His eyes turned to his father. Vegeta's reaction was quite the opposite from last time. He was still sitting in his chair. Not a muscle moved until he uttered one word:
"Where?"
"Down the hall, third door on the left." answered the doctor. "Come and get me when you're ready. I-I still have to perform the autopsy."
The five walked steadily to the room. Trunks was in a daze. He was suddenly very aware of how alive he was, how alive everybody was. He could almost hear his heart pumping life into him. Then, they turned and entered the room. Scalpels and other instruments lay cleanly on a tray beside the bed. Bulma's face had not been covered, she could have been sleeping. Goku ran to her side the moment he stepped in the door.
"Y-you were supposed to listen to my card Bulma…" he said shakily, "I told you not to get sick…"
"I'm sure she tried to listen Goku." Vegeta Jr. said, placing a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder while blinking furiously himself. When Trunks came to the bedside and he could see her clearly, something clicked. He reached out and clutched her hand in his.
"Don't go Mother," he whispered hoarsely, "don't go!" There was no small movement in her hand, nothing to suggest there had been a mistake. Truth is a hard thing and at that moment, Truth decided to pound Trunks. Bulma was gone. She was never coming back. She was never going to laugh again. She was not going to see her granddaughter. This pain he felt, there was no word in any language for it. He could not describe it, it just…hurt. It hurt more than all the battles combined. There was no outlet for it. It was trapped, doomed to spend eternity inside of him. Trunks's ears then picked up a familiar word.
"Koishii…" Trunks looked beside him. Vegeta brushed her forehead with his hand. Disgusted anger exploded into Trunks's mind.
"Stop calling her that." Trunks ordered. This man had no right to be here. He caused this. If it weren't for him, she'd be alive. Vegeta did not seem to hear him.
"Please Koishii…"
"STOP CALLING HER THAT!" shouted Trunks and he threw his right fist hard into Vegeta's face.
"Trunks, what are you doing?" Pan screamed. She ran over and held on to Trunks's arm. Trunks threw her off him.
"HOW DARE YOU! YOU NEVER LOVED HER! BUT SHE DID LOVE YOU FOR ONLY KAMI KNOWS WHY AND IN RETURN YOU KILLED HER!"
Trunks hit Vegeta again. Vegeta did not counter nor try to block and let himself be knocked down.
"YOU NEVER LOVED HER! YOU LEFT HER! YOU LEFT ME! AND THEN YOU KILLED HER! I'LL KILL YOU!" No! Trunks thought furiously. What are you saying? I love my father; I don't want him to die! Stop it!
"WHY DON'T YOU STAND AND FIGHT? YOU WANTED US TO DIE! YOU LEFT SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO FACE US! YOU COWARD!" He kicked at the fallen Prince. No, stop it! Why am I doing this?
"I'LL GAURENTEE YOU DIE FIRST! KA-" No! Trunks tried to stop the energy from forming.
"ME-"Why can't I stop?
"HA-"I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill my father!
"ME-" NO! STOP RIGHT NOW!
"HA!" Trunks stopped and released the blast at the same time. The result was a major hole in the ceiling directly above Vegeta. Trunks knelt, breathing heavily. Pan and the children were backed against the far wall. Vegeta was barely supporting himself on a heavily cracked wall with blood running from his mouth and his arms. Trunks reached out to him.
"I'm so sorry Father! I don't want you to die, I love you! You do believe me, don't you?" Vegeta spit up a little blood as he sat up.
"You're right Trunks, just as you were twenty-three years ago. I killed her. I did not give the final blow but it's my fault she's dead." Trunks wanted to comfort him, but it was true. It was his fault she was dead. He set her death in motion the night he left twenty-eight years ago.
"Vegeta," Pan sat beside him with a wet cloth, "there is no way you can blame yourself for what happened." She dabbed at his face, washing away the blood.
"You couldn't have stopped it." Trunks assured. At least he could say that with certainty. Vegeta grasped Pan around the wrist, making her stop cleaning his wounds. He looked straight at her.
"I am very happy that my son found you." Pan smiled weakly.
"You should come home with us Vegeta. It will be very lonely for you at Capsule Corp." said Pan sweetly.
"Thank you, but I want to be alone." answered Vegeta, his voice unusually soft.
"You've been alone enough, you should—" Pan began to argue.
"Pan…" said Trunks. She fell quiet. Trunks got up and walked back over to the bed. He took Bulma's hand in his again.
"I love you, Mother." He kissed her pale hand and closed his eyes.
"Trunks?" Pan laid a hand on his shoulder. "We should go now." Trunks turned his head to her and opened his eyes. But something was wrong.
"Pan! I can't see you!" He groped for her and found her arm. Something was definitely wrong. Panic rose inside him. His brain felt like it was floating.
"I'm lightheaded, what's going on?" The lightheadedness became too overwhelming for him to continue standing. His legs crumpled beneath him.
"Pan? Dad? Where are you?" The last thing he could remember feeling was a sharp pain at the back of his head.
When Trunks awoke he was again chained to a wall, but this time, manacles had been placed around his feet. His vision cleared and he looked around. There was no sign of Pan. Trunks struggled to free himself. After five minutes of continuous effort his arms were free but the restraints on his feet simply would not break. The door to the chamber flew open and a woman was thrown in. After the doors were closed Trunks inched closer to her.
"Hey, are you alright?" Trunks asked. The woman lifted her head and blinked a couple times.
"Trunks, you're conscious! I was so scared after Parag beat you up that bad!"
"Pan?" He inspected her closer. It was Pan. She was completely unrecognizable. Her face was covered with dirt and her hair was considerably longer and matted. For that matter, Trunks did not think he looked much better. His hair was also much longer and he could feel the sting of open wounds on his body.
"You're still cut. Parag said he would take care of it!" said Pan, touching his face. Her hands were clammy and cold.
"Forget about me. These scratches are nothing. What about you? How are you holding up with Parag?" Pan fell silent and then began to cry.
"You should leave me, you know? I'm below you, I don't deserve you anymore!"
"Pan, I know you're being forced to—"
"I'm bearing his child Trunks!" The room resonated with her words. Pan had stopped crying and waited for Trunks's response.
"Come here." Trunks guided her head down onto his lap. He combed his fingers through her hair.
"We'll get through this, alright? We'll get out somehow." He breathed deep. "Then, you'll have this child and I won't love him or her any less than I do Vegeta and Goku. This is not your fault Pan."
"I love you Trunks! No one else!" Trunks continued to brush her hair with his fingers.
"I know you do. I love you too."
"You shouldn't." Pan began to cry again.
"Stop talking like that! Stop apologizing; it's not your fault! No matter how many times Parag has you it will never change the way I feel about you."
"Wonderful sentiments." said a voice from the shadows. Two Saiyans landed. One was Parag and the other Trunks had never seen but knew exactly who he was.
"Ch'rek." Trunks muttered under his breath. Parag strode over and pulled Pan off of Trunks by her hair.
"She's very loyal to you. After all this time she still calls out to you when she's with me."
"You bastard!" Trunks swung a kick at him. Parag stumbled back and aimed a counter attack.
"Parag, stop." ordered Ch'rek, "We don't have enough medical supplies to treat his wounds again." Trunks pulled himself up to his full height. Even so, Ch'rek was a foot taller than him.
"Why are doing this to my family? They've never done anything to you and neither have I. This makes no sense!" Ch'rek glared down at him.
"Maybe not to you princeling, but to us it's revenge."
"Revenge for what?" Trunks shouted, "what could I have done that would merit this?" Ch'rek and Parag exchanged glances.
"You don't know?" Parag said, surprised.
"Know what?" demanded Trunks. Both Ch'rek and Parag started laughing.
"Vegeta has obviously neglected to tell you why he left so many years ago. How very interesting!" That was all Trunks got out of the two. They left still laughing.