I do not own DragonBall Z.

This story was originally posted to this site in 2001 and completed in 2004. I hope you have enjoyed it. Thank you for reading.

Epilogue

Trunks stood on his balcony looking down into the vast courtyard filled to the brim with subjects from his kingdom. People from all over the world had gathered to witness the final ceremony of his coronation. Beside him stood his wife, Pan and cradled in her arms their young son.

He finished his speech and took in the uneasy response from the crowds. He could feel they were uncertain, hesitant to give him their trust. There were many of them who did not think he was fit to be king and many more who would try to underhandedly usurp his position. The events from last year had ripped the kingdom apart, turning his would-be loyal subject against him and leaving the whole debacle on his shoulders.

It was with his raw power and iron-will that he made it to today, to stand in front of his people and proclaim himself King. It will be with those characteristics that he rebuilds his kingdom and regains their trust.

Trunks turned from the prying eyes of the people, eyes that were waiting for a moment of weakness. He would never again show one weakness. Weakness is dangerous. Weakness will destroy you. It was the final lesson that his father, his sister and his mother had learned. He would not make the same mistake.

Trunks said nothing to Pan as he retired to his study; he wanted nothing more than to be alone with his thoughts. Their would be no celebration tonight. No gala event to commemorate his coronation. The events of the last year still left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and he felt almost cheated. It didn't feel right taking the throne having not challenged his father and fought to the death to prove himself worthy.

His sister took that right from him. She fought their father to the death, not for the throne, but for the one she loved. Nonetheless, she was now the rightful heir. Trunks could have challenged her and taken it back by force. Her sudden burst of power would have been no match for his trained skill, but she never gave him the chance. Instead, she hijacked a ship, left the planet, and hadn't been heard from since.

Having never been given the chance to prove his worth, the throne was Trunks' by default. He hadn't bothered sending troops out to search for her. She'd made her decision clearly. If she came back and so chose to do so, she could rightfully challenge him for the position. He would kill her, of course. She was insane and unfit to rule, but he did not think she would ever come back. He believed her to be dead, having never left the planet

before, floating lifelessly in space with the corpse of his once most trusted companion.

And yet another disturbing detail in this twisted tale. He was still unclear as to why it all happened. Why did Goten take Bra from the palace? Why did Bra fight so hard for him? It was obvious the two were lovers, but when had this happened? Why didn't anyone know about it? Was it rebellion against the arranged marriage? None of it made sense. The only people who knew what was really going on in the palace of Vegitasei were gone. There was, however, one other person who possibly knew something while everyone else was left in the dark.

Trunks motioned for a guard standing in the shadows near the door. The young guard approached fearfully, as he should, Trunks had not taken control of the planet peacefully and was known for eliminating those who did not act appropriately. Softly, Trunks made his demands and the hard look in his eye told the guard he did not need for it to be repeated. He bowed lowed and left quickly to carry out his orders.

As Trunks waited for his prisoner to appear, he stood and poured himself a flute of a rare, harsh wine made from the blood of a nearly extinct race of people. It was only recently that he came to appreciate the bitter taste of the liquid. No more than a year and a half ago, he preferred light, sweet wines. He saw it as a metaphor for how his life has changed.

Finally, the guard announced the arrival of his prisoner. Shackled with chains and a ki-dampening collar, Bardock bent low onto one knee and hung his head waiting for Trunks to speak first.

Trunks turned to the guard at the door and dismissed him. "You may stand." He said to Bardock and motioned him to sit in a chair across from him as he took his seat.

Bardock sat and looked the King in the eye. There was no fear there. The older man was well past his prime and had seen enough to face his death with pride and what honor he had left. Having been locked away for so long, he seemed willing to face anything.

"There are some things I was hoping you could help me understand." Trunks said, getting down to business. "Mainly what Goten was doing with my sister? I admit to not having known much about him before I brought him to live at the palace. I did not think he would be much trouble, seeing as Pan was his family. I figured that would keep him on his best behavior if the fear of death did not."

"Hrmp." Bardock grunted. "I told the boy it was a bad idea to come here from the start. Nothing good ever comes out of the palace."

Trunks narrowed his eyes. "Tell me about Beta," he said, his voice laced with the barest hint of threat. "Goten's lover. The one who died."

Bardock lowered his eyes then. Beta. The sweet girl Goten had found in a bar and fell in love with. If only it had been so simple.

"Beta..." Bardock started, struggling to find the right words to describe her, the correct place to begin. "He met her at a local bar in our city. Goten in his drunken chivalry saved her from a group of would-be attackers. She had no place to stay so she came home with us. She never left and the two fell in love. Beta made Goten want to be a better man. But then one day, she disappeared."

"Is that all?" Trunks asked. He knew in his gut where this was going. He had somehow known since the incident how this story would end. He wanted the old man to get to the point.

"No. It's not all." Bardock said, he still had yet to look the new King in the eye as he told the tale. "She was different. Refined like an aristocrat, not at all like the family she said she came from. I believe it was my fault that she destroyed Goten. That she took away his ability to see clearly. I was always suspicious of her and one day I realized why.

I saw through her facade and realized that it was no coincident she appeared the same day the Princess went missing. Beta was the royal Princess Bra. In my fear I confronted her and she left that night."

"I see." Trunks said. "So that was where she'd been all that time. And you knew that we were close to finding her and that if we found her in your house, you'd all be killed."

"Yes. She left in the hope of protecting Goten. In the long run it didn't work." Bardock said.

"And that is why Goten chose to come live in the palace?" Trunks inquired.

"No, she made me swear never to tell him who she really was. Now I wonder that if I had, perhaps he would've stayed away. I gave her my word and instead sent Goten on a chase for a woman who never really existed. I believed at the time that travel and war would purge her from his mind, but I guess destiny weighs heavier than blood. War only brought him to you."

"Yes, and I brought him back to Bra." Trunks took a long sip of his bitter wine. "So, do you know how it is that he came to know Bra as Beta and why he would go against his monarchy to be with her?"

"She revealed herself to him one night. He came to me afterward, angry and distraught. At that time, he felt betrayed and had no desire to be with her. But, temptation is a powerful aphrodisiac." Bardock answered.

The image of Goten lying drunk in a dirty gutter came to the forefront of his mind. Beta is dead... I don't think she was ever alive... those cryptic words were now made clear as pieces to the tragic puzzle fell into place. What would he forsake to be with the one he loved? How many worlds would he tear asunder to be with his family? How much blood would be on his hands to keep them safe?

And how could he see them as any different?

Trunks finished his wine and called for the guards. "I understand now," he said as he stood. "It would seem the universe it's self conspired against them." He turned to the guards and motioned them to take Bardock.

Bardock stood as the guards flanked him. He knew this was to be his last night in this world. There would be no honorable death by a worthy advisory. "A request?" He asked. "Can I see her one last time?"

Trunks raised a brow before turning his back on the old man.

"No."

Bra checked the navigational system one last time before she left the bridge. One hour until decent. The viewing screen showed a large green planet with twin suns on either side. The computer printed readout on the planet told her she had finally found it:

The planet Namek.

The door slid shut behind her as she left the bridge and walked down the long, empty corridors of the vast ship. Nothing could have prepared her for the harsh reality of space. The past year, alone for the first time, was the toughest she'd ever had to endure.

At the end of the hall was the medical bay. She could walk here blinded now. It was her only solace. So many times, she thought the walls were closing in on her that she would go crazy. During those times, she came here and spoke to him.

Bra approached the steel and glass case that held his inanimate body suspended in a thick blue gel that kept him with her. When the automated voice of the ship's computer could no longer keep her sanity, she came to him and he would comfort her. His eyes would never open and his lips would never move, but she believed she could hear the baritone of his voice deep within her soul and it kept her going.

She pressed a pale hand against the glass as her eyes filled with tears. His face looked so serene, as if he was just asleep and she came to believe it.

"We'll be together again soon." Her voice sounded harsh and small to her ears. She wasn't sure anymore if she'd said it aloud or if it was just the voice in her head. So many months alone and she wasn't sure of anything anymore.

The craft jarred as it entered the atmosphere, but Bra didn't move. The autopilot would make sure they landed safely. She slid down the container and pressed her head against the cold, lifeless glass, closing her eyes. They would land in a few more minutes and soon this nightmare would be over.

The automated voice of the computer woke Bra from her daze. Jumping up, she ran from the medical bay, down the corridor and into the bridge. The view screen showed a vast green field, dotted with shrubs, trees and ponds. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Suddenly, new life pumped through her veins. She couldn't believe her long journey was over.

Bra was about to depart from the ship when she stopped. She couldn't just leave him here by himself and she didn't want to be alone right now either. She sprinted back through the ship and into the medical bay. There, curled into a ball on the bed, was their son. She hadn't believed it when she found out she was pregnant. On the bad days when she couldn't hear Goten's voice, she took solace in him. She didn't name him. She wanted Goten to do that and now he would finally be able to. She picked him up, wrapping him tightly and embarked from the ship.

Outside she was greeted by warm sunlight and the fresh smell of rain. The clean air filled her with vigor and happiness. On the horizon, she could see people approaching. The creators of the Dragonballs and controller of the Great Dragon within. She did not fear them for she knew they were a gentle people. She only hoped they would help her.

Bra smiled as her son woke, crying at the bright sunlight. The Namikens closed in around her, curious but non-threatening. As she waited for the elder to approach, she reflected on the long and difficult journey here. Now it was over. Soon they would be a family again.

The end.