Disclaimer: All Characters/settings/trademarks referenced from Dragonball/Z/GT/Super & DC entertainment are the respective properties of their original creators.
A/N: What up folks? This chapter will be somewhat short due to the quick update but a lot of progress is made here. You'll see. Look out for commentary at the bottom and thanks for reading!
"The Sun And The Moon"
Chapter Five: A Reckoning
Trunks dropped his Capsule jacket onto the sandy earth, leaving his chest covered only in the thin black tank top, as the desert sun's heat beamed down on his chosen battlefield. Now that the earth was recovered, this sort of isolation was necessary. The power of his unlocked Super Saiyan form trembled the ground enough to topple sand dunes and whip up violent sandstorms without him even igniting his aura. Despite these effects on his surroundings, he had the appearance of calm. His eyes were closed, his breathing smooth and regular, and his body was loose. The only outward sign of intensity was the hand that gripped the hilt of the sword strapped to his back.
Although Gero's abominations were invisible to a conventional sixth sense, there were other ways to see without seeing. The wind, for example; it could be both felt and heard when someone disrupted its flow with their movements. It also carried scent. If an opponent was perspiring or injured, or one were familiar enough with them to associate an odor with their natural state, then they could be tracked within a certain proximity. This is how Gohan had taught Trunks to defend himself against the monstrous siblings.
When Seventeen got within range, the young Super Saiyan's eyes snapped open to immediately lock onto the man's approach. His shining teal irises bore a fierce hatred that, if able to transfer energy the same way his Kryptonian friend did, would have burned him to ash on the spot. It was a glare of hatred so intense that it would have made Vegeta proud, had he been there to see it. Number Seventeen alighted softly onto the shifting dune nearest Trunks while conveying his typical dismissive contempt for the teenager.
Trunks withdrew his sharpened blade in a fluid gesture and pointed its tip at his next victim. "Your time is up."
"Hn, is that so?" Seventeen replied with a smirk. "Come at me, then. I dare you."
A single beat went by in which a small sand cyclone dissipated in the space between them. When the last grains settled, the two adversaries lunged at each other. A sharp gust of wind cascaded forth from the downward slice of Trunks' blade as he took the direct approach. Seventeen's face betrayed his surprise as the high pressure blew him back a significant distance. It was a distance Trunks put to immediate use. Taking his blade into one hand, he used the other one to launch a large orb of explosive ki at the man – one large enough to obscure his view. He then ignited his aura as he launched into superspeed which had the effect of kicking up a massive cloud of sand. With so much cover shielding his movement, he easily got behind his opponent. His blast from in front and sword from behind was an effective pincer attack that would limit the man's options.
Seventeen, knowing the blast would hurt less than Trunks' sword, spun around and let the energy explode against his back so he could catch the kid's blade between his palms. He could've dodged into the sky but he saw no point in prolonging things and wanted to take the blade out of the equation anyway. Having arrested his opponents momentum, he kicked him hard in the gut while wrenching the sword out of his hands. His follow up was a roundhouse to the head which sent the teen skipping across the sand on a tangent. He used this brief opening to chuck the sword into the sky with all his might and watched it disappear into the horizon.
Trunks was quick to recover, since his enemy hadn't pressed the attack, and was back on him in a flash. Fists and feet collided in a flurry of superspeed that blew the sand away until a giant bowl shaped depression formed and the hard earth beneath it was exposed. From Trunks' perspective, time was moving slow enough for the sand to appear suspended while he and Seventeen appeared to move at normal speed in their exchange. He ducked his head left to avoid a hook and was grazed by an uppercut to his cheek, then blocked a knee thrust with a knee of his own before staggering Seventeen with an elbow to the solar plexus. His followup was like lightning in its speed; the fist of his right hand landing a solid and clean blow to the bottom of the man's chin.
Seventeen was hit with double vision and a daze as the powerful strike from his Super Saiyan opponent rocketed him into the stratosphere. The second he collected his bearings was one second too late. His head stopped spinning just in time for a double-fisted haymaker to smash into the back of his head. He was caught completely off guard.
A massive cloud of sand and dust, visible from space, was the result of the seismic impact Seventeen's landing created. Trunks, still high in the atmosphere, hadn't waited for the impact, though. The salvo of palm blasts he had followed up with peppered the crash site only milliseconds after it was created. He was only lightly winded from the effort as well. Dende had really honed his transformation to it's fullest.
A fit of coughs racked Seventeen's chest as he pulled his face out of the dirt and climbed to his knees. Sand rained down all around and was quickly beginning to bury him so he staggered to his feet before taking to the air. Trunks had finally surpassed him - it was plain as day. Where, once, the kid had been the one to be crawling out of the metaphorical (and often literal) rubble, looking up to see the people holding his very life in their hands, he now stood doing the same. Oh how the tables had turned. It was almost poetic. He managed to grin through it, though.
Trunks came to a soft hover above and opposite the last remaining terror sibling. The guy didn't look good. His clothes were in tatters and he was bleeding from several burns across his skin. He held his head high, though; somehow maintaining a grin. It wasn't his usual sneer either.
"Well, I guess this is it, huh?" Seventeen said, before finally noticing the state of his appearance. "Yeesh, do I look like hell. Heh, can't say I don't deserve it," he added with a shrug. "At least it's not coming from the ugly blue guy..."
Trunks raised an eyebrow at the man. Was that resignation he heard in his voice? "So, you're giving up? Just like that?" He wasn't sure if he could believe it.
"I've made my peace, Trunks. There's no future for someone like me in this world. You know it. I know it," Seventeen replied. The smile was gone from his face now; replaced by a grim sadness. "Besides failing as a human being, I've lost the one person who had become my sole reason for carrying on in this life."
"Eighteen..." Trunks said. "You really cared about her, huh? I'm surprised. I didn't think you two were capable of real human emotions."
"Her name... was Lazuli," Seventeen replied, fighting to keep the sting in his eyes from becoming tears. "She was my sister; and not just by Gero's design. We had lives before that monster rebuilt us. A family. We had dreams and aspirations just like anyone else. And like everyone who's ever had their lives torn apart, we were never the same afterward. We surrendered to the darkness inside of ourselves. I can't take back what we did – what I've done. I do regret it now, though. I didn't just fail my sister in the fight against Thirteen. I failed her many years ago before this all started. So, please... finish this now. I can't stand to live like this anymore!" Tears were freely spilling down his face as he plead his case.
Trunks remained silent as a war of conflicting thoughts robbed him of words. There was anger. Anger that this man who had tormented him for years and ruined his life would spoil his conviction with this revelation. Now, no matter whether he killed him or let him live, he was robbed of the satisfaction he had wanted for so long. There was also anger at himself for letting empathy for this man creep into his heart. Why couldn't he just be the monster all the way until the end? The sadness he felt from him was akin to what he felt in the aftermath of Gohan's passing. It humanized him in a way that made Trunks beyond uncomfortable. After what seemed like an eternity spent in contemplation, he came to a decision. "What's your name, man?"
Seventeen looked up, lifting his head from where he held it in his hands, feeling rather pathetic as he wiped snot from his nose. Had he heard Trunks correctly?
"Speak up, I don't have all day," Trunks repeated.
"It's Lapis. My name is Lapis. Don't even think about changing your mind. If you don't do it soon, then I'll have no choice but to make you do it," he said, regaining some of his resolve.
"Shut up, already," Trunks said, schooling his features. "I just wanted to know what to put over your grave."
Lapis exhaled a huge sigh of relief and let a small chuckle escape him. "There he is. Hey... Trunks. Can I ask you for one last favor?"
Trunks made a show of rolling his eyes and acting impatient. Inside he was fighting to keep his composure. "What now?"
Lapis touched the right side of his chest. "My power core is in here. If you take it out, you'll be able to see it flash when it gets close to my sister's. I made her grave up in the mountains north of West City; by a river. You'll put me there, right?"
"Hn," was all Trunks said before his body began to flicker with superspeed. In an instant, he appeared before Lapis to plunge a hole through his chest with his fist.
Lapis kept his grunt of pain minimal and gobbed up some blood before choking out his last words. "I wish... I could've been a hero... like you. When I see Lazuli... I'll tell her how... you saved me. Thank you..."
Trunks laid Lapis' body down after withdrawing the core and closed the man's eyes. He had the ghost of a smile on his face – finally finding peace. "You idiot," he said, before closing his own eyes in a moment of silence.
OoooooO
The next several months were revolutionary for earth and it's heroes.
After using the dragonballs to immediately revive all of the humans who died in the passed year, they had scoured the globe to bring them all together in Orange Star City. There had been over three million people, hardy folk, who had managed to survive through nearly two decades of hell on earth. That wasn't much compared to the original population of six billion, but it was still more than any of the Z warriors had expected as well as a true testament to humanity's enduring spirit. Bulma had made it clear that everyone be briefed on the details of their revival despite some of her comrade's reservations that widespread knowledge of the dragonballs might result in their misuse. She assuaged those worries with the cold hard facts; people ignorant of history were doomed to repeat it.
With a new level of understanding and cooperation, true civilization returned to humanity once again with Orange Star as the new capital and Bulma the unofficial leader. Schools were reopened, utilities and transportation service restored, and people went back to work. There were also more than a few families reunited. And, just as old families were coming together, there was also much potential for new ones to be formed.
Love blossomed left and right among the population of survivors who had grown used to living like everyday was their last. There was almost a collective understanding that life shouldn't be taken for granted nor should opportunities be wasted. It also went unspoken, but the planet needed to be repopulated.
Even Gohan had found himself a woman – with Bulma's maternal matchmaking instincts extending to him as well. Mai was one tough cookie, too. She was the leader of earth's largest group of survivors which had numbered in the tens of thousands at one point. Her instincts and leadership abilities were such that few could match her. The two hadn't wasted any time getting pregnant.
Trunks was another story. Try as she might, Bulma couldn't quite get her son and his lovely Kryptonian friend to overcome the angsty shyness that seemed naturally ingrained in most teenagers. Thus, the two sweethearts had spent the majority of their time meandering and otherwise skirting the issue. Not once had she caught them holding hands or kissing. A point which she meant to remedy by upping it's priority on her list of agendas.
Still, there had been plenty else to be done before that.
With Piccolo and Kami's subsequent merging, the dragonballs had been rendered inert. It was, therefore, left up to her to contact Namek and ask for volunteers who could restore their functioning. Dende had been more than willing to offer his services and so, with Moori's blessing, became their new keeper. Bulma had almost not dared to ask, but couldn't resist prodding the young man about increasing Shenron's power to something more in line with Porunga's. He had reassured her that he would do everything within his power to make it possible for all of her friends and family, Vegeta included, to be revived at some point. While it wasn't an outright promise, it had been enough to keep her going.
And then, of course, there had been the not so small issue of synthesizing more of the special fuel needed to power the time machine so Goku could be taken back to the past where he belonged. Not that he had complained much, though. He had been having what she was sure was the time of his life training with two other Super Saiyans, a Super Namek, and an enhanced Kryptonian. Still, she could put herself in Chi-Chi's shoes and imagine how worried everyone else probably was that he had spent so much time away. Five months was a spectacular breakthrough compared to her old record, though. It had previously taken her eight years to generate a single canister of the chrono-plasma and she was sure there was much room for improvement still. She wasn't sure if her superior results were because of access to better working conditions (like her shiny new lab) or the fact that Dende had supercharged her brain. She hadn't been complaining, though.
When the day had finally come for the Turtle School's greatest student to depart, it had been a bittersweet moment for just about everyone. Having Goku around for so long had really motivated her and almost helped her forget some of the lingering pain from years gone bye. His spirit was naturally uplifting which made it nearly impossible to be anything but optimistic about things to come.
Kara had made Trunks promise to not linger too long in the past when he dropped Goku off which made Bulma feel all tingly inside. A little more prodding here and there was probably all she needed. Yes, all in all, things had come together quite nicely.
OoooooO
Multiple large beads of sweat ran down Kara's face and the rest of her body, which was scantily clad in a sports bra, gym shorts, and tennis shoes, as she flowed from one kata to another inside of Capsule's onsite gravity chamber. Ten times earth's gravity may not have been considered very much in terms of what someone like her should be capable of but she had purposely handicapped herself by spending an entire month out of the sunlight, while burning her energy, in order to emulate the state of an unpowered Kryptonian prior to starting her advanced training inside said chamber. Before he had gone home, Goku had told her to spend as much time as possible building her base level if she wanted her superpowers to reach new heights. As a man possessing an expert ki sense and the admiration of everyone who knew him well, she trusted his advice implicitly. Thus, she had spent nearly everyday for the passed three weeks working herself to near death. In that short time, she had increased the gravity ten levels and was on her way to mastering the necessary ki control which Trunks said would allow to her relearn the art of flight.
As she slid her right foot forward and shifted her weight to that one leg for the next form, the kill switch buzzer went off and caused her to accidentally fling herself forward as the gravity instantly reverted to one G. She fell head over heels and slammed her back into the wall before sliding to the floor. Her upside down perspective saw Bulma, with an apologetic grin on her face, approach with a sweat towel and water bottle in hand.
"Yeah... sorry. I didn't mean to catch you off guard like that," the older woman said as Kara peeled herself away from the bulkhead and returned to her feet with a light handspring.
"No, it's my fault," Kara said, accepting the offerings. "I should've been using my ki to keep better track of my surroundings. I guess I'm still a long way off from being able to multi-task with it, huh," she added with a sheepish smile.
"Everyone's gotta crawl before they can walk," Bulma replied.
"And walk before they fly," Kara added.
"Speaking of which, would you mind walking with me? I've got something to show you," Bulma said, gesturing for the door.
Kara tossed the newly damp towel over her shoulder and chugged some of the bottled water as she followed Bulma. The genius leader of Capsule Corp led her through a series of corridors and on an elevator ride which led to the top floor.
"Don't worry, all of the windows have been sealed off," Bulma said. "Wouldn't want to disrupt your training. I've converted the entire penthouse and the three levels below it into a hangar, anyway, so the privacy was needed."
"Oh yeah? What are you keeping up here?"
Bulma left Kara's question hanging and let the girl's eyes find her own answer as the massive blast door slid open to reveal a saucer shaped ship resting under the illumination of several fluorescent spotlights. It was over two stories tall and took up nearly the full length and width of the hangar. When the girl had finished drinking it up, Bulma carried on. "It used to belong to Frieza and his father. I've spent the last few months retro-fitting it to more easily accommodate humans. I also upgraded it's hyperdrive, among other things."
"That's neat... but why bring me here?" Kara asked her. "It seems like you're already finished with it. I probably wouldn't have been much use helping you work on it anyway."
"That's not why you're here, hon," Bulma said, turning to place a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This ship is gonna take us to the space rift that brought you to our world. I've been busy with a lot of things, yes, but I haven't forgotten about you. I was able to lock down the source of that weird radiation I found when I first scanned you with the time machine's quantum computer. This means you're one step closer to returning home."
Kara's mouth fell open, her eyes simultaneously going wide, as she processed that bombshell. Her initial thought afterwords was what Trunks would say. The next was remembering that she had inadvertently tipped off that girl Reign, the worldkiller, to her cousin's earth being a place of interest. So much time had passed since then that she had hardly thought about it. Even without that problem, she had left Kal on a bad note which had never sat well with her after pondering her situation thoroughly. She had been so disrespectful and unwilling to accept the truth he had tried to communicate to her. What a mess.
"Honey, if my son is anywhere in your head right now, in regard to this situation, then you've got to talk to him. Either confess your feelings or let him down as easily as you can. We launch tomorrow at sunrise."
OoooooO
Trunks sat with his legs dangling off the edge of Capsule's helipad atop the skyscraper. Night had already fallen and the city lights were making the horizon twinkle all the way to the suburbs. It was a sight he found quite relaxing and one he had never thought he'd live to see. He turned his head to greet Kara when he heard the roof access door swing open. He couldn't help his heart beating faster every time he saw her and was ashamed that he had waited so long to ask her to meet him in private like this. Tonight was the night, though. He was gonna finally tell her how he felt about her. "You, uh... look nice," he said, in reference to her skirt and sleeveless blouse combo.
"You too," Kara replied, despite him not deviating from the usual cargo pants, tank top, and jacket. A gust of wind chilled her while blowing her hair about and she reflexively reached her hands up to rub her arms.
"Here," Trunks said, dropping down from the ledge so he could wrap his jacket around her bare shoulders.
"Thanks," she replied, barely able to look up at his face before she averted her eyes. "It's not like me to get so cold. Kind of embarrassing, actually. I don't even remember space making me shiver like this. I guess I'm not completely used to having such a low power level yet."
"Don't be embarrassed," he said, lifting her chin so he could stare into her eyes. "You've made so much progress so fast it's made my head spin. Well, that's not the only reason my head is spinning, actually."
"No?"
"Kara," he said, taking her hands into his own. "I'm in lov-"
"Wait!" she said, interrupting him. "I can't do this... I can't hear you say it. Please just... will you stop?"
"What? Why?" Trunks said, dropping her hands.
"Your mom... she finally showed me the ship she's been working on. The one you brought back from the past."
"What has that got to do with us?"
"Trunks, there can't be an 'us'. Not anymore. Your mom found the space rift that brought me here and is planning to launch the ship tomorrow morning. She says I can go home. I have to do it. After the way I left things there, they need me more than you guys do..."
"But I need you too, Kara. I can't live without you. If you're going back to that place, then it's not gonna be alone."
"What? No. Trunks, I don't even know if it's gonna be safe. Even if it is, it could be a one way trip and then you'd never see your mom again. I couldn't put you through that."
"Screw that! I love you, damn it! I don't care what happens to me as long I'm next to you! Don't you get it? You're the person who matters most to me."
Kara was stricken by the intense devotion in his eyes and also by the crushing grip she felt as he held her hands. Even though he had fully tamed his Super Saiyan state for everyday use, she wasn't up to her usual standards. "It hurts..."
"It doesn't have to. Just say you'll let me come with you and we won't have to go through this," he replied.
"No, my hands... you're crushing them."
"Oh. Whoops," he said, instantly letting go. "Heh heh, my bad," he added, rubbing the back of his head.
"Trunks," she said, looking up at him as she shook out her hands. "I love you too. Nothing would make me happier than having you along. But what if your mom objects?"
"She won't. After all of her teasing, it's pretty obvious she wants us to be together. Stop worrying about that for a minute and come fly with me, yeah?"
"B-but... I haven't quite mastered the technical-"
"Hush," he said, putting a finger over her lips. "I'll hold you until you're comfortable on your own. Then maybe I'll hold you for awhile after that... if you don't mind, that is."
"I don't," she replied, stepping onto his feet as he wrapped his arms around her. They were airborne and rising above the low hanging clouds in seconds. They kissed for the first time under starlight.
OoooooO
A/N II: So, yeah, a bit of fluff at the end but, hey – why not? I'm super pumped that they finally confessed their feelings. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, lol. How about 17, though? I didn't see that coming... lmao. Anywho, I had a good writing day for both outlines and actual chapter work, so this thing gets released ahead of schedule (What schedule, shoes? Everyone knows that's your worst subject) *shut up internal monologue* (sorry, jeez).
So, Gohan and Mai is a real thing and will probably be explored more at some point. It was a random decision but one that I find interesting. In DBS, she's a total badass and hero without superpowers. I mean, she almost took out Black with a sniper rifle.
If you guys are wondering about Cell, I've decided to postpone him for a bit while Trunks and Kara go to the DC earth – which will be happening next chapter. And, if you think its gonna be all sunshine and roses (beer and darts) with the Justice League, think again. Expect the unexpected, if you will.
Thanks to last chapter's reviewers:
Touzoshin
Wandering Scion
Aramus13
Rocco13
For everyone else, throw me some love or hate – just throw me something. It will not fail to motivate, I promise. Peace.
-shoes