Dragon Ball © Toriyama Akira, Shuheisha, Inc.
Chapter 11: Small Price to Pay
The northern part of the world was said to be the safest part of the world. The rich men had gathered there, establishing various facilities to made them feel like they were living a good normal life without the androids' existence. Hospital, sea aquarium, swimming pool, and even the amusement park. The area was probably the only area where you could hear people's cheering, laugh, all that happy expression. The area was guarded by the world's best armies, said that not even androids could harm the place.
Gohan tightened his lips when he read the brochure because the thing about not even the androids could harm the place was rubbish. He watched Trunks still trying to change into Super Saiyan and noticed that his hair was getting spikier every minute he tried. However, it reminded him of Tenten showing him how her hair billowing freely in her form, not turning into the usual spiky hair other Saiyan had when she changed.
It might be a small detail he didn't need to think about but he didn't know why it bothered an older brother, he felt failed not being able to answer her mysteries. If Piccolo or Vegeta were alive, they might know something—he was pretty sure of it.
Sighing, he went to the lake nearby and washed his face. While wiping his face with a towel, he watched the water reflecting the vivid image of his face. Gohan touched the scar that ran down the left side of his face, the scar he obtained when he lost one of his most important person—his mother. Shaking his head to dismiss the disturbing memory, he called Trunks for a break and served him the sandwich Tenten had made earlier for their practice. She skipped her training that day because she had to meditate and Trunks asked why.
"PTSD?" Trunk widened his eyes, almost dropping his sandwich.
Gohan nodded. "Ever since Goten's death. I opted for meditation therapy because I don't want her to take too many medicines. She has trouble sleeping, concentrating, and often blaming herself for Goten's death."Trunks felt like punching himself upon realising how she actually wasn't as cheerful as she appeared to be. "She kept telling me to keep this a secret from you, but… I think you should know because…" He smirked.
Trunks turned his face away the moment he felt something hot spreading from the tip of his nose to his ears.
"So, does this change the way you feel about her?" Gohan asked.
"W-what?! No! Of course not!" Trunks blurted."I know how hard it must be for her to accept… h-his death, so…"
"That's good then." Gohan smiled at him. "But you must know that it isn't going to be easy for her to return your feeling. If you're really like her, then you must give her some time, okay?"Trunks stared at Gohan for a moment before nodding in response. He had been crushing on her his whole life so he didn't see any problem in waiting for another year.
"So, was that the reason you came back home after spending years training in the mountain?" Trunks curiously asked.
"Yeah. She became very attached to me. Especially since our mother was gone, I am the only family she has left," Gohan said. "She's always waiting for me to come home, looking for me if I didn't come home for more than two days. As if she's very afraid of losing me."
"Isn't that supposed to be good?"
"Nope. That's very bad. As much as I like to pamper my little sister, we're all warriors, Trunks. We never know…" Gohan looked down to the ground. "We will never know whether the next battle will be our last one or not. I don't know how long will I be able to be by her side…"
"Gohan-san…"
"I wish I could stay by her side forever, but… if something does happen to me, Trunks…" Gohan tilted his head in Trunks' direction. "Don't protect her. She won't like that."
Trunks was taken aback by this. "Then… what am I supposed to do?"
"Fight alongside her." Gohan smiled. "Just because she's a girl, doesn't mean you have to show your back to her. You got that? I've given you enough hint to impress her so make good use of them!" Gohan poked the side of Trunks's head, making him blushed.
After the practice, both Trunks and Gohan were on their way home from the training ground when they spotted a black pillar of smoke soaring high. What Gohan feared the most when he read the brochure had happened. Both of the androids were already there, playing in the amusement park while having the joy of killing people at the same time. It didn't take him a while to take the amusement park down from its previous glory. The cheers of joy soon turned into people's frantic screams.
Both of the Saiyan men didn't waste any second to jump into the battle. Gohan tried to take #17 by himself and managed to handle the black-haired android at first. However, he gradually losing as soon as #18 intervened in the battle.
Trunks couldn't stand watching from side doing nothing, so he made the battle into two-on-two. However, his strength proved to be nothing against the blonde android. He wasn't even near touching her hair. When she punched him down to the ground, #18 stretched an open palm and mustered her energy, readying herself to finish him forever.
But Gohan jumped in time to save him, shielding the younger Saiyan from harm with his body.
A huge supernova occurred and one would believe that no one could survive such a massive attack. The two Saiyans were buried down below the ruins. The androids were waiting for a moment until they believed that the two didn't make it out and left the place.
They didn't know that the two were actually alive, but both were on verge of losing their lives.
As the adrenaline rush dissipated, Gohan started to feel the pain in his left shoulder. It was down to him that he had lost his left arm. Taking out the last Senzu bean he had saved for an emergency, he was about to swallow the bean to return his left arm when he saw Trunks, noticing that his Ki was slowly fading. With all the strength he had left, Gohan crawled his way towards Trunks.
"T-Trunks, you… take it. You're… our last hope…" Gohan put the bean into his mouth, smiling at his apprentice before the world of darkness swallowed him whole.
Meanwhile, Tenten was meditating in her room as a part of her routine, as suggested by her psychiatrist because Gohan didn't want her to take too many medications. Taking a deep breath, the process was abruptly disturbed when she sensed two very familiar Kis engaged in a fight. Tenten swiftly ran towards her windowsill and flew straight to the source of the two Kis.
Her heart was thudding with an immense strength when she sensed one of the Kis was getting smaller. Her breathing was ragging upon the memory of the day when she lost Goten. Topping her speed, she prayed for the entities to allow her to make it in time.
The reeking smell of the death had roamed the area the moment she arrived, mixed with the smell of gun powder and smokes. The tanks were already upside down, crushing some soldiers beneath them. She had to clamp her mouth at the horrible sight as she searched for the source of the Kis belonged to Trunks and her brother.
She finally found them near the carousel's wreckage and approached the two, widened her eyes the moment she saw her brother had lost his left arm. Tenten put her shaky hands over his left shoulder and formed a minty blue sphere around his wound. She couldn't grow the losing limbs, but at least she could stop his bleeding.
"Please wake up, Onii-san! Please!"
"Ugh…" Gohan groaned when she managed to close up her would. Tenten checked for his pulse. It was small, but she sighed in relief when she found it. She glanced to his side and checked Trunks' pulse, then checked his body for any wound, feeling glad when she found none.
"Trunks! Wake up, Trunks!" She lightly shook his body.
Trunks slowly opened his eyes. "T-Tenten… what happened?"
"M-my brother! We need to carry him to the hospital!"
Trunks widened his eyes in realisation. "Let's bring him to my house! We have a doctor living nearby our house!"Tenten nodded at this. They immediately brought Gohan's body up, Trunks on his right while Tenten on his left.
Tap-tap-tap…
The blue-haired female scientist was inserting the function formula into the time machine's system through her computer. The monitor showed a red box, declining the action and made her sighed in exasperation. She had to recalculate the function again this way and that would require her another week while she wanted to finish the machine as soon as possible.
When she told Trunks about the time machine concept, her son laughed and said it was the most ridiculous idea ever crossed her mind. Bulma sniggered and told him how the whole world used to ridicule her father when he proposed an idea about turning all things into the size of a capsule, then the world was buying it.
The existence of the Dragon Balls had proven that almost nothing was impossible.
However, she couldn't blame her son for starting to lose hope, nor she could blame the Tenten for giving up on it. But Bulma felt the responsibility of showing them the fruit of having hope deeply rooted in her heart.
She was close to proving it.
However, the rasping sound of the door being slid open snapped her out from her reverie. She peered from her monitor and gasped when she saw Trunks and Tenten carried Gohan from both of his sides.
"W-what happened?" Bulma strode across the lab in big steps. She covered her mouth with her palm almost immediately the moment she noticed his left arm was no longer there.
"Gohan-san was protecting me, and he…"
"Hurry up and lay him down on the bed! We'll have to call a doctor!" she said while wasting no second to make a call to the doctor who happened to live near her house. The doctor arrived ten minutes later and immediately perform the operation on Gohan's wound.
"It's all right. He's no longer in any mortal danger. The first aid you gave him already close most of his wound. He only needs some rest. Make sure you tell him to not forcing himself," said the Doctor after performing a one-hour duration operation. Tenten was sending him home and bowed to thank him for helping her brother, then went back to the Capsule Corp. to check his brother.
Trunks was sitting on his side, fingers entwined together, hiding his lips behind them – seemed to be so deep in his thought. She could see everything in his face, guiltiness, regret, fury. Saying anything at that moment would only hurt his pride so she remained silent and tucked Gohan's blanket up to his chin. She then rested her head on top of his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She gripped his blanket tightly, relieving the fear that blanketed her the moment she saw her brother's condition back there. Because she wouldn't want to live in a world without her family.
Gohan, being her sole family member that was still alive, was her sole reason she could survive the world she was living in.
Bulma entered the room not long after, tidying Gohan's clothes. Seeing that the older woman busied taking care of her brother's belongings, she approached her and said, "Bulma-san, let me do it."
Bulma shook her head. "It's okay Tenten. You have to rest yourself. Closing his wound must have worn you out, right? Stay here tonight. Trunks will show you your room."
"I can just stay here and—"
"You're welcome, Young Girl." Bulma smiled. Tenten knew that it was useless to argue with her self-proclaimed second mother.
After all the commotion that had happened that day, she didn't feel like resting. But closing up his wound had used up her power, so she decided to take her advice to rest. There was no saying when the androids would show up again and with her brother's state, she should be the one defending them if necessary.
"Thank you, Bulma-san…" She bowed her head gratefully.
Bulma patted her shoulder, then glanced at her son. She remained deadpanned, not a single emotion flickered in her sapphire eyes when she said, "I knew all about what you were doing… About how you and Gohan were fighting together."
Trunks lifted his head to meet his mother's eyes. He knew that his mother was against him fighting against the android out of the fear of losing him but he just couldn't stay out of the battle.
"I'm sorry, Kaa-san…"
The room was engulfed in uncomfortable silence when Bulma made no response. The female scientist rested her back on the wall, eyes staring down to the white tiles below her as her mind traveled to the past.
"If only Son were alive…" Bulma suddenly said. The mention of her father's name made Tenten glanced at Bulma. "Pretty soon, the time machine will be finished. Once it's done, you'll be able to get inside it, and it will take you back in time to when Son was still alive…"
Tenten clutched her chest at the mention of the time when her father was still alive, when the rest of her family was still alive. She knew that the reason Bulma built the machine was to change the situation. However, she wished to board the machine and left the reality she was living in, to the fantasy where her house was full.
She never got to know her own father when people around her talking about how he saved the Earth numerous times. She never got the privilege because he was gone not long after she and Goten were born.
"Urgh…" Tenten quickly rose from her seat and relieved to see him opened his eyes. "Tenten?"
"Onii-san, are you okay?"
Gohan faintly smiled at her. "I'm okay… Don't worry." After that, he glanced around and asked, "Where's Trunks?"
Trunks scooted to his side at the mention of his name, "I'm here, Gohan-san. Thank you for saving me…" he said with both fists clenched until they turned white when his eyes shifted to Gohan's left side. "I-if it wasn't for me, your arm wouldn't…"
"Stop."
"G-Gohan-san?" He blinked.
Gohan smiled at the younger boy. "I'm trusting the future on your hand, Trunks."
"But Gohan-san! I–"
"I believe in your strength. Losing my left arm in exchange for your life is a small price to pay, Trunks. Remember that," he answered. He tilted his head to see his sister's worried expression and gave her an assuring smile. He then beckoned Trunks to come closer to him. "This is a better chance to surpass me, don't you think?"
Trunks was flustered at the question and refused to look at Tenten when she stared at both him and her brother.
After Gohan fell asleep, Trunks showed Tenten the room she could sleep in for the night. On their way to the room, the two said nothing at all. Trunks glanced at her every now and then but every time she caught his eyes, he would look away. Upon reaching the room, Trunks slid the door open and made a way for her to get in.
Tenten entered the room, observing it in a glance before turning her heel. "Thank you so much for your kindness, Trunks. I owe it to you and Bulma-san." But Trunks didn't respond. Instead, he fell to his knees and bowed his head until it touched the floor. "W-what are you—"
"I'm sorry…" he began, "if it weren't for me, Gohan-san would never have lost his arm. If… if I could give up my life for that, I will—" He abruptly stopped when she gently brought his head up and placed her finger on his lips.
"Stop. I will be mad at you for real if you continue," she said. "If my brother said that losing an arm for your life is a small price to pay, then I trust his judgment. If he said that he trusts the future in your hands, then I trust you as well. Also…" She gently caressed his cheek. "I couldn't bear the thought of losing you… as much as I do to my brother."Trunks widened his eyes, especially when she hugged him, very tightly. "Thank you for staying alive, Trunks…"
He returned her embrace and rested his head at the side of her face, inhaling her scent and tried to embed it into his brain so he could remember it forever.
"I will live for you. I will even live forever if that's what you want. I promise you this," he said.
She chuckled. "Idiot."
AN: I think it's very normal for Tenten to suffer PTSD after all the loss she suffered throughout her life. I feel very bad for making her life like this since Chichi's death is actually non-canon. LOL~ Goten's death will be explained in later chapter, so stay tuned, all of you!
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