A/N: Hey guys. I know I said that there was going to be two more chapters but really, the last chapter was more like an epilogue anyway and I decided that, if I left it as it was, it would be ridiculously short and wouldn't pack as much of a punch. On the plus side, it means I'm finally done with this story! Yay! So big thanks to everyone who reviewed, added me to Author or Story Alert or put me on their Favourite Author or Favourite Story list. Thank you so much everyone, it really does mean a lot to me :) Okay, before this gets too sappy because that would be weird, on with the final chapter...
Saviour
Vegeta touched down on the dusty floor. He scanned the surrounding area. It certainly had taken a beating. Rocks lay askew on the floor, numerous craters opened up having disturbed their presence. One mountain had a huge crater of its own, gaping open at the side of it. He didn't like to imagine which of the two fighters here had been the one to crash into it.
Vegeta heard a raspy cough from behind him and spun round. There lay the beaten figure of his son, throwing up immeasurable amounts of blood in continuous coughs.
Vegeta sprinted over and knelt down beside the child in the blood he had coughed up. Trunks was barely conscious. He was moaning and was desperately trying not to let the tears in his eyes spill. Of course, he wasn't doing a very good job of it.
Vegeta assessed Trunks' injuries. He was a mess. Numerous cuts and blows to the head had left his usually fluffy lavender hair stained and matted. His eyes were swollen, but both were squeezed shut anyway. His face was cut and bruised. Most of the left side of his body was burnt and his arms and legs were broken, as well as numerous ribs. His clothes were torn and revealed deep wounds.
It seemed to Vegeta that he must have sustained some horrific internal injuries. Trunks was struggling to breath and blood just kept coming out of his mouth.
Vegeta ignored the wet feeling as the blood his son was vomiting leaked through the material of his clothes. Gently, he pulled his son up, trying to hold in a gasp as he felt just how truly broken Trunks felt on the inside. Trunks weakly lifted up one hand and pressed it against his father's chest, unsure of who Vegeta was since he couldn't open his bruised eyes to see.
"It's me, son," he comforted, yet in his mind, he was lost. What do I do? He wanted to yell. I should have brought Dende with me. I can't carry Trunks back to the Lookout with him like this. He'll never survive the journey.
He hugged his son tighter, hiding in the mess of his hair. "I'm sorry, Trunks. I should have been there, should have forced you to go. I'm sorry..." Vegeta's voice trailed off into a whisper. He never used to be one to feel guilt. Never used to understand how the pain of guilt could crush you like it was crushing him right now. Hell, he'd grown up in an environment where the emotion 'Guilt' didn't exist.
Now, though, he was different. He'd changed. Cold blood no longer ran through his veins. It was warm and he liked it. Liked feeling loved and cared for. Liked caring for people back. Well, maybe not people in general, but certainly his wife and son. Yet, he'd failed them. Failed to keep his son alive. He could feel Trunks slipping; losing grip on life and the guilt and pain he felt was tearing him apart.
Vegeta could no longer contain his emotions and he began to weep silently, trying to block out his son's groaning and gagging. Blood that Trunks was vomiting was soaking Vegeta's lap. He didn't care, though. He just held his son tighter, praying for someone just to stop him suffering already. If Trunks had to die here, why couldn't he just die already? Why so much endless pain?
"Vegeta, hey!" a voice cried out. Vegeta looked up in shock and quickly wiped his tears from his cheeks before anyone could suspect they'd ever been there. Goten and Dende were hurtling through the sky and landed just in front of him.
"You took off so fast, Vegeta. I never thought we'd be able to catch up!" admitted Dende. "Whoa, he's in really rough shape, I'll start right now, if I may." Vegeta leaned back slightly so his head wouldn't obscure Dende's view of Trunks. He turned his head away from Trunks who was now gasping and twitching involuntarily.
He looked up at Goten, who was staring at Trunks in obvious disbelief. His mouth hung open as he took in Trunks' appearance. Tears formed on the edge of his eyes. How could someone do this? It just wasn't right. Goten shook his head in horror, as if trying to shake away these images of Trunks that were now burned on his brain.
"There, that should do it," Dende concluded. Vegeta looked down. His son looked healed, but he still wasn't awake.
"Why hasn't he woken up?" wondered Goten aloud, asking the very question that Vegeta himself had been about to ask.
"He's just a child and his injuries were extensive. I literally had to bring him back from Death's Door. He's healed but he's still weak. Just the wonders of a good night's sleep are all he needs now. If you'd like, he can recuperate at the Lookout. We have plenty of rooms for him to stay in. You too, Goten," said Dende, gesturing to Goten also.
Vegeta nodded his approval and gathered up his son in his arms. He strode forward and took off for the Lookout.
"Guess it's back we go," Goten laughed. He did feel tired. Lugging Vegeta around had taken it out of him. All the same, it was nice to laugh again now that the pressure of Trunks was taken care of.
Dende and Goten rose up and followed Vegeta and Trunks to the Lookout.
-
Vegeta lay Trunks down on the bed and covered him with the blanket. He sat next to him and stared at him for a while, just letting emotions flow through his head. Pride, guilt, love, anger....
He'd had an idea on the way back to the Lookout. An idea that, he realised, would rid the world of Buu, but also himself. He was going to sacrifice himself in a blast that not even Buu could survive.
He didn't care, though, and that surprised him. There was once a time when he would have laughed at dying to save someone weaker than him, relative or not. His whole perspective had changed today.
He wasn't dying to save someone weaker. He was dying to save the people he cared about. His son, his wife. He saw how eagerly young Trunks threw himself into the battle so that Dende would have the chance to heal Vegeta.
Well, now, it was Vegeta's turn.
Closing his eyes momentarily to hold back the moisture that threatened to overtake them, he bent forward and kissed Trunks on the forehead.
"Never doubt that I loved you, Trunks. Ever," Vegeta whispered quietly in his son's ear.
He got up and stood in the doorway of the room, getting one last look.
Eventually, he turned to leave, but not before uttering...
"Farewell, my son."
-
A/N: Well, there you have it, folks! The end of 'My Son', thank God! And, just so everyone is clear, I know I didn't close up Piccolo's fight with Buu that he had in the earlier chapters. That is just one of the reasons why I hate this fanfic. Too many loose ends, among other things...
Someday, I might come back to this fanfic and rectify it's mistakes and develop it a bit more, but for now, I'm content to leave it as it is. However, if you do spot any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors I've missed, please let me know so I can fix it. I'm such a perfectionist and this fanfic is bad enough as it is without having amateur mistakes riddled throughout it. Of course, please remember I do spell things the English way before you write me a review saying I've added an extra 'u' or something! XD
Okay, with the exception of the B/V get-together I am currently writing in Word, I'm going to take a break from fanfiction for a couple of days. I don't know if I'll have the first chapter of 'Without Warning' up before Christmas, so if I don't, have a really good Christmas guys!
-x-
