10 – World's End Dancehall

The flight to the Lookout from Capsule Corp was a quiet one. Trunks had wanted to get there as early as possible, and thus the half Saiyan and the android had sat off at sunrise. Luka trailed behind, thinking about what lay ahead for them that day.

Or rather, year.

She'd offered to help Trunks train out of pure curiosity, without thinking about what that would entail. A whole year in one day.

Luka wasn't exactly sure why she was so concerned about it. After all, she didn't age, and aside from Miku, she wouldn't exactly miss anyone.

Perhaps it was more the thought of being alone with Trunks for the whole time…

Teasing him was fun, but she wanted to know more about him, and the future he came from. But it was clear he barely trusted her, and Luka was unsure how to change that. And that wasn't the only problem.

Trunks needed to be strong enough to put up a fight with Cell, without a speed drop or huge energy consumption.

And clearly, Trunks was stumped on how to go about doing this.

A faint line cutting through the sky could be seen in the horizon; Korin's Tower rose past the clouds, stretching into the far reaches of the sky. The two soared further into the air, zipping above the Lookout and halting.

Trunks hastily dropped to the Lookout, while Luka gently lowered herself, landing next to the half Saiyan.

"Whose turn is it next?" Trunks inquired, as he approached Piccolo, Tien and Mr Popo. Vegeta stood against a nearby wall, carefully eyeing his son.

"Yours. I had one after Goku and Gohan left, and Vegeta took his turn after that," Piccolo answered, catching Luka's eye. She responded with a faint smile.

"So? How do you think you'd fare against Cell?" she asked, scanning his power.

It was high, she noted. Much higher than before. He could probably take her down easily now.

That fact unsettled her slightly.

However…

"I'd stand no chance, of course," the Namekian snorted.

"Not surprising, I guess…"

Luka brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, and glanced over to Vegeta and Trunks. The two exchanged an intense look, staring off until Vegeta smirked.

"Heh. You may as well not bother. I'll be finishing Cell myself," he said, as arrogantly as ever. Trunks' composure did not falter.

"Do you think he's bluffing…?" Luka muttered. Piccolo took a moment before responding.

"Hard to say…"

"Not going to take any chances after what you pulled…" Trunks said, moving past his father. Luka scurried forwards to catch up, briefly catching Vegeta's grin.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Trunks asked, as the two stood in front of the door leading to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

"Is that concern? I'm genuinely shocked. I thought you hated me."

Luka could hear a small sigh as Trunks opened the dimensional door.

Cutting back on the teasing was going to be a tall order, she realised.


Chi-Chi had everything planned out for that day; the food was all packed, the route to the picnic area was mapped out, and the amount of time they'd spend there had been estimated. She was in charge of everything, from the food, to packing the car, and…leaving Goku to drive.

Miku wasn't exactly sure how to feel about this.

"I, uh, would never have guessed you know how to drive," she said, from her seat in the back next to Gohan. The boy had been relatively quiet that morning- although there hadn't been much morning, by then. The sun had barely risen.

"Well it did take me a while to get the hang of it, but I think I got it down," the Saiyan said, intensely concentrating on the mountain path ahead, "I mean, I think I'm doing it right…"

"You sounded a lot more confident yesterday," Chi-Chi commented with a bemused look.

"I'm still waking up…"

Gohan giggled quietly, and Miku found herself joining in. The two exchanged a look, Gohan pausing for a moment, taken back by Miku's glance.

He started chuckling again when Goku stopped the car and said, "I forgot which way we're going again."

The rest of the journey was a relatively peaceful one; the road they took led to a spectacular view of the surrounding forest, with a huge lake shimmering under the morning summer sun. Miku had never taken in such sights, and was left breathless by the view.

Everyone else in the car noticed how taken Miku was with the sights, and shared her smile, all negative thoughts about the events to come far removed from their minds.

"Are there other places like this?" Miku asked excitedly, her eyes shining with interest.

"Oh, all sorts of places! Lotsa places all over the world; even I've yet to see it all!" Goku responded merrily, "if we get the chance, maybe we could go some places this week."

"Yeah! That'd be great!" Gohan cheered.

Miku nodded in agreement.

"Eyes on the road, Goku," Chi-Chi said, causing the Saiyan to yelp as he wrestled with the wheel.

"Maybe we'll pass up on using a car next time…" Miku said. Gohan chuckled in agreement.


"So, what's the plan?" Luka said, having taken a few minutes to analyse the time chamber.

"I could ask you the same question," Trunks replied, "surely you came here with a plan, right?"

"Well," Luka began twirling a lock of her hair, "I suppose we could start off by seeing how strong your Super Saiyan form is."

"Right…"

"Without beefing it up, of course."

Trunks chose not to respond to this, as his aura flared and his hair spiked, now glowing gold.

Luka eyed the Super Saiyan, scanning his power.

Close to mine...or, at least, closer than I predicted.

Not as strong as I was expecting.

I should really work on a formula for how much stronger Super Saiyans are compared to their base forms…

"Hm…I should be strong enough to keep you on your toes, so we'll start off with a spar," Luka said, running scans on their surroundings. Currently, the chamber was at a high temperature, and the air was thinner than on the Lookout.

Trunks would be feeling it soon; maybe not immediately, considering his large power, but after their spar, he'd have to be conservative with his breathing, and struggle to not let the heat get to him.

On the other hand, Luka wouldn't even lose energy, let alone feel the effects of the time chamber. This was likely for the best, as it meant she could keep pushing Trunks to his limits.

The two sprang at each other, clashing in mid-air and exchanging a series of blows. Trunks swiftly dodged the strikes directed at his face, planting his foot into Luka's side, who winced, but grabbed his leg, and threw him into the air.

Trunks immediately threw himself back at Luka, elbowing her in the face, sending her smashing to the floor. Her reaction was spontaneous, throwing a series of energy blasts at Trunks, who manoeuvred around them easily. Luka dashed to the side, flying up and hurling a stronger beam at Trunks from another angle.

Trunks saw this, and let out a powerful yell, crossing his arms in front of his face, taking the attack head on.

Luka watched with an approving look.

He's serious.

Good. He better be ready. I'm not gonna let up this year.

The beam exploded as it hit Trunks, but as the smoke cleared, the Super Saiyan seemed hardly damaged. He drew closer to Luka, a challenging smile on his face.

"So, the idea is to keep pushing me until I break the Super Saiyan barrier…right?"

"No. The idea is that you get stronger. We'll worry about ascending another time."

"I doubt this form will be enough to take Cell…"

Luka paused, carefully choosing her next words.

"I think you're misunderstanding the nature of the 'Super Saiyan'," she explained, "it's a form that amplifies your power. It's not that different to your base form, in that your strength is quite possibly…well, unlimited."

Trunks paused, chewing the explanation in his mind.

"…I see," he responded slowly, "I'm guessing there's more to this…"

"Power down," Luka instructed in response. Trunks eyed her wearily for a moment, but complied.

"What now?"

"As I said, your power is amplified as a Super Saiyan," Luka continued explaining, scanning his power in his base form, "so a minor change as you are would lead to a significant increase as a Super Saiyan."

"So I train like this, then?"

"You catch on quick. I won't be going any easier on you, though. I'm going to push you to your absolute limits…"

Luka flicked her hair, and met Trunks' gaze.

"I hope you're ready," she said.


"Gohan in a choir?"

"Of course! Isn't his voice just lovely?"

"Well…I guess?"

"Hmph! It was too much to expect you'd understand," Chi-Chi said, "but I guess it wouldn't have worked out, anyway. The nearest choir is miles away from home."

A small breeze brushed through Miku's hair, as the group lazed in the sun, laying on the soft grass next to the lake. The sun hung high in the sky, and the summer air was fresh.

The android had never felt so relaxed in her life.

"Mom, how's your singing?" Gohan asked. Chi-Chi's face flushed red as she looked away from the group.

"Well…that's not important."

Gohan and Goku grinned at this reaction, while Miku smiled.

"How about you, Miku? Your voice is nice," Gohan continued.

"Well…I've never tried," she responded, unsure of how to take the compliment.

"You should try it-"

"Now now, Gohan. Singing only works when it's fuelled by a feeling," Chi-Chi lightly scolded his son.

"Didn't you say you were gonna make Gohan go to a choir, earlier?" Goku said, scrutinising his wife.

Goku sat up, and ran his hand through his hair. His golden hair shone under the light of the sun. Miku stared curiously.

Super Saiyans, huh…?

The data Gero provided us with didn't mention it.

So what is it…?

"So, uh," Miku said, sitting up also, "how did you become a Super Saiyan?"

"Hm? Oh, right, you don't know about Namek," Goku said, "well, uh, where to begin…"

"It started off when me, Krillin, and Bulma went into space to find Namek and find a way to bring back all our friends to life after Vegeta and Nappa came here," Gohan filled in for his dad, "dad was too injured to come with us. And there we found a load of strong enemies, led by Freeza."

"Who's Freeza?"

"He was really strong, and claimed to rule the galaxy," Gohan continued, "even Vegeta feared him. We had to be careful in case he found us. Eventually we teamed up with Vegeta to fight a team of Freeza's elites."

"Yeah, and even with his help you had a tough time, huh?" Goku said. Miku was listening with rapt attention.

"I found you almost dead- you'd put a pretty good fight, though," Goku patted Gohan's head, "you always make me proud, son."

There was a pause, as Goku and Gohan slowly glanced at Chi-Chi, who was gritting her teeth and glaring at Goku.

"H-hey! I got him a senzu bean as soon as I could!" Goku exclaimed defensively, causing Gohan and Miku to snicker as Chi-Chi rolled her eyes.

"But yeah, after I beat up the ones attacking everyone, I took on the leader, who switched bodies with me. It was crazy-"

"WHAT?" Chi-Chi shrieked.

"I got it back! See?" Goku assured while he flashed his trademark grin, rubbing the back of his head. Chi-Chi looked faint, while Gohan and Miku's sniggers turned into open laughter.

After the laughter had died down, and Chi-Chi had calmed down, Gohan continued the story.

"Dad had to take some time to heal, and we were attacked by Freeza during then. He had several transformations, and each one outclassed us hugely! By the time he hit his final form, we were at our limits- and then dad tried fighting him."

"Hoo boy, that was a fight," Goku said, leaning back on his arms, looking into the sky, "I tried everything I could on him- the Kaio-ken revved up to twenty times, the spirit bomb- but even at half his full power he was just shrugging it all off."

His blue eyes met Miku's as he smiled, an almost sad smile.

"Freeza wounded Piccolo while I was powerless to stop him…and then he killed Krillin. After that, something inside me snapped, and I became what you see now."

Miku sat in awe, processing the story in her mind.

"Wow…you sure have a way of pulling through…"

She smiled.

I think I understand Goku more.

There's something odd about him. Something that just makes me want to believe in him.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Chi-Chi pulled Miku out of her thought process, "let's hear more about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what sort of life have you lived up until now?"

"Ah…well…"

Miku was uncertain on how to answer.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

The girl paused for a moment.

"It's okay. I want to," she said, "I don't know who my parents were or where I was born. All I remember are my closest friends. Rin, Len and Luka."

She flopped onto her back, spreading her arms out.

"I don't really mind that, though. I love them all more than anything."

Goku, Gohan, and Chi-Chi listened closely.

"Rin and Len were the first I met. They were basically inseparable. But both on their own were important to me."

She wasn't even upset when she thought about them now.

"Rin's always been there for me. Sometimes she'd fight with Len, but she'd always make sure he was okay afterwards…and then she'd ask how I was. She'd make sure I wasn't upset by their fighting. She always thought rationally, and calmly, even if she was a complete child sometimes."

Miku felt herself smiling now. It felt good to remember them like this.

"Len was always trying to make me and everyone smile, and always being silly. Sometimes he told jokes, sometimes he did impressions, sometimes he pulled pranks. He hated seeing me down, and would always try to cheer me up, even if he was the one who upset me."

It felt good to get this all off her chest.

"Luka came along later, but she was always like an older sister to me. She…"

Miku paused, thinking about Luka and what she was doing at that moment.

"She…always knew what to say. Always knew how I was feeling. Never relented. And…I feel like I've never been able to repay her for all that she's done for me."


Trunks blearily opened his eyes to see Luka's face above his. He attempted to sit up, but a jolt of pain shot through him.

"Wuh…what happened?" he asked groggily.

"I figured you'd want to get back to training once you woke up, so I decided against carrying you to a bed," Luka explained, shifting a lock of hair behind her ear. She was knelt down, with Trunks' head resting on her legs.

"Ah…thanks, I guess."

"I think I went a bit too far with that last hit, sorry. Do you need some time to rest?"

"Yeah," Trunks said, wincing slightly, "gimme five minutes."

Luka looked bemused, but said nothing to oppose this. After all, she didn't feel right stopping Trunks while he was so determined to push on.

They'd been training for months on end now; Trunks had only stopped when he was desperately hungry or close to passing out. Between the harsh conditions of the time chamber, and Luka's unrelenting assault, Trunks had definitely shown a large improvement.

He was well disciplined, Luka had noted. Even after months of these torturous conditions, Trunks hadn't shown the slightest sign of mental fatigue.

"Well, while we're taking a break here, tell me about something," Luka said, her hand brushing aside Trunks' bangs. He needed a haircut sometime.

"Anything in particular?" Trunks asked, raising an eyebrow. The android smiled slightly.

"Tell me about your time. I want to know everything that happened. Some things aren't adding up from what I've gathered so far."

Trunks sighed.

"Fine. If you really must know," he said, "I can tell you what I know. But most of this happened while I was two years old."

Luka nodded slowly.

"As I mentioned, Miku went on a rampage. I don't know why. She destroyed an entire city, and so everyone went to fight her- Piccolo was the first to be killed, the Tien, Chaotzu, Yamcha, Krillin, and even Yajirobe. My father lasted the longest against her, but still was unable to do much."

He paused.

"His last act was to save Gohan, apparently. I don't know if that's true, but Gohan survived, and went on to train me. He taught me everything he knew, and…I really respected him. At the time, I didn't understand what he'd been through- I could see the destruction Miku was causing, and it hurt to be unable to do anything about it, but…"

Trunks closed his eyes.

"Gohan…saw all his friends get killed before his very eyes. His father had died not that long ago. He lost everyone."

Luka continued staring at Trunks, making no sign of interrupting.

"One day, when I was fourteen, Gohan and I witnessed Miku blast half a city into ashes. I wanted to rush in and fight her, so Gohan stopped me by knocking me out. When I came to, I found him dead among the remains of the city. I saw Miku slowly turn to leave, and…something within me snapped. I became a Super Saiyan then, but I did not fight. I understood why Gohan stopped me before. I knew I had to get stronger. Much stronger."

Trunks met Luka's gaze.

"I looked Hatsune Miku in the eye for the first time that day. I expected to find hatred and anger in her stare but…all I saw was sadness…"

"I…see," Luka said quietly, "you fight on your own…"

"I'm used to it."

That statement clawed at Luka's heart; it was something she never wanted to hear from anyone.

"So? Why would Miku do something like that?" Trunks asked, slightly pointedly, "you know her well, right?"

"Well…hm," Luka responded thoughtfully, "I can only guess that the Miku of your time lost Rin, Len and me in some way. It'd explain why none of us are there."

Trunks looked sceptical, so Luka continued.

"What do you think would have happened had Cell killed me instead of just holding me hostage?"

"Uh…I guess Miku would have…oh," Trunks said, understanding dawning on his face.

"Someone- or something- must have gotten me while I was inactive. As for Rin and Len…perhaps Vegeta got them? At this point, I can only speculate."

The two fell silent, Luka looking into the vast blankness around them.

"What's she usually like?" Trunks asked, following her gaze, "Miku, I mean."

"Heh, she's…very important to me. Like a little sister. She's a wonderful person, and she cares about anyone she considers a friend a lot. I wish I could protect her, but alas, her power is far greater than mine, and I failed her when she- and Rin and Len- needed me."

Luka sighed, curling a lock of hair around her fingers. Trunks slowly sat up, carefully rising to his feet.

"Let's get back to training," he said, "it's been more than five minutes, so..."

Luka smiled. She couldn't help but admire his determination.


It was night time, and the picnic trip was long over. Goku, Chi-Chi and Gohan had all gone to bed after a long day, while Miku sat on the roof, watching the night sky, lost in thought.

In just a day, she felt like she'd gone from a total stranger to a member of the household. She'd never opened up to anyone other than Rin, Len and Luka, and so telling the family about her past had been a strange experience.

A strange, yet not an unwelcome experience.

Miku heard a light squeak from below, and peered over the side of the house to see Gohan floating out of his window.

"Miku?" he exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"What are you doing up?" Miku whispered.

"I wanted to look at the constellations…reading about them is fun, so I wanted to see them for myself."

"Oh…the stars are pretty, aren't they?"

Gohan hovered towards Miku and sat next to her, gazing into the sky.

"I've been doing this every night since getting back here," Gohan said, "I got interested ever since I went out into space. There's so much out there…"

"I see…This is my first time I've ever looked at the sky like this. There are so many stars…I wonder what they look like from up close? I'd like to go out into space one day, and see it all."

The half Saiyan nodded slowly. He looked slightly tired.

"Oh, but first, I want to see everything cool on the earth!" Miku declared.

Gohan chuckled.

"We have to beat Cell if we wanna do anything after this week, though," Miku said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"...I believe in my dad. He always thinks of something."

The two turned silent as they watched the still, cloudless sky.

"Yeah. I think I understand that, now," Miku responded.

The silence returned. It was a comfortable, easing silence.

"I never asked you about how you turned Super Saiyan," Miku broke the silence with a question, "what happened to you?"

"Ahah, well, it wasn't that great," Gohan answered sheepishly, "dad just told me to think of Freeza when we were training in the hyperbolic time chamber. Eventually I just kinda…forced it, I guess."

"From what it sounds like, it's no easy feat. You should be proud of yourself!"

"I get told that, but…I have a hard time believing it. Most of the time, when I'm at my strongest, I'm usually too angry to control myself," Gohan admitted.

"Do you…not like fighting?"

"…No. Most of my life I've been on edge, either fighting for my life or preparing to fight something else. I just…want it to end."

Gohan's just a child…but he's been through so much.

Not just that…he could lose his friends, and his family, in what's to come.

I don't want that to happen.

I don't want him- or Goku, or Chi-Chi- to lose anyone.

I can fight Cell. If Goku can do it, then I can too. I'm on the same level as him, if our fight is anything to go by.

I'll fight Cell.

I'll avenge Rin and Len. But…I'll also fight for Gohan, Chi-Chi and Goku.

"Miku?" Gohan was eyeing the android with concern. She realised she'd been staring pretty intensely at the sky.

"Ah…sorry, I'm getting kinda tired. We should probably call it a night."

Gohan didn't look convinced, but nodded. The two climbed quietly back into their rooms, both pondering on the conversation they'd just had.


Trunks was panting harder than usual, Luka noted. He was pushing himself more than he did previously.

The android knew exactly why, too. They had only three months in the room left. Trunks was even more determined to grow stronger, now that their time there was running out.

"We're stopping for now," Luka commanded. She wasn't going to let Trunks push himself too far. Being close to death wasn't going to help him.

"I…can still fight…" Trunks wheezed in response.

"You're going to take a break, and get your energy back."

The Trunks at the start of this year would have flat out denied this. However, he'd come to trust Luka's judgement more as his training went on.

"…Fine," he conceded, drifting towards the ground, sitting on the steps near the entrance. Luka slowly moved over to join him.

"You're going back to your time after Cell's beaten, right?" she asked.

"Yes. I'll miss everyone here, but I have to save my world- or, well, what's left of it."

"I guess you're going to destroy the Miku in your time, too…"

"There's no other way."

Luka wondered about that. She preferred when deaths could be avoided.

And…there was something she wanted to do.

"…Hey, Trunks," she said, her nerves rising, "I'm gonna ask you something, and…you're probably going to refuse it, at first but…"

"Hm?" Trunks looked bewildered.

"I…I've been thinking. About how you're fighting on your own in your time and…there is a way to avoid killing Miku, but…well…"

Trunks frowned, but let her finish.

After a moment, she did.

And the chamber was silent once more.