A/N: I have changed some characters to fit the story! Also, previous chapters have been revised!
Warning: Language
A Chance of a Lifetime – Chapter 8
She fell from the sky. They looked back, confused that Trista was lagging behind. Then she suddenly fell. The fighters watched for a moment, surprised, before Goku raced down and caught her before she slammed the ground.
Vegeta and Gohan followed, landing softly on the island underneath them. They all looked at Trista in confusion. There was something...different about her. She wasn't given off any ki signals that they could detect. And she was very much alive, with the way she was staring at Goku in terror right now. They watched her scramble out of his hold, her breathing erratic as her back hit rock. Vegeta and Goku looked at each other in surprise.
She was giving off weak vibes. Of...a...human!
Goku slowly stood, watching the woman in front of them let out a squeak of terror, scrambling up and running away from them. She slid to a stop behind a massive wall of earth, her low sob reaching their ears. They slowly walked around the erected earth, gazing in confusion at the woman cowering away from them.
"Please don't kill me," she whispered, her eyes huge.
"Trista-"
"How do you know my name!?" she asked, scooting away from them. "Where am I?" She looked around erratically. "Who are you?"
They looked at her, wide eyed, before Goku took a hesitant step forward. Trista scrambled back, gasping.
"You don't recognize us?" Goku asked softly, not moving towards her again. They watched her furiously shake her head. The fighters looked at one another, perplexed.
"What the hell's going on!?" Vegeta asked gruffly, studying the woman shaking on the ground.
Two men suddenly appeared, and with a single cry from Trista, vanished, taking the woman along with them.
"NO! DAMMIT!"
The fighters whirled around. A man, well...boy really, stood behind them, glaring in outrage at the spot Trista was just crouched in. Goku and Vegeta tensed, looking this person over warily.
He had slightly puffy black pants on, the ends shoved into orange boots. A black tank top covered his chest, a coat over that with a sword strapped to his back. The coat had the Capsule Corporation emblem on it. The man's black gaze studied the spot for a moment, before a sound of disgust came from his lips, his black hair swinging as he jerked his head to the side. The fighters watched, tensing up even more as the boy clenched his fists. His brought his arms up and slammed a fist into his palm.
"I was too late. Shit!"
They studied him for another moment, before Goku stepped forward.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice calm.
The boy jerked his gaze towards them, studying them for a moment before strolling forward. The fighters raised their arms. The boy stopped, blinking before raising his hands.
"I'm not here to harm, I'm here to help."
Vegeta gritted his teeth before stepping forward. "How do we know that?" he snapped, looking the boy over again. The Capsule Corporation emblem gave them pause.
"Are you friends with Bulma?" Goku asked softly, studying the boys' coat.
They watched a small smile appear. "Sort of," the boy murmured, slowly lowering his hands.
"Well! You are or you aren't! Which one is it!?" Vegeta stated, crossing his arms.
The boy sighed. "My name's Trunks, and before telling you anything else, we need to meet up with the others so they can hear the rest." Trunks sighed, looking towards the spot Trista was in again. "This involves everybody."
He blasted off, a small smile appearing as he felt the other three warriors do the same, trailing him the whole way.
They landed right behind him. The men looked at one another, following him towards the front entrance. Everyone inside paused, looking towards the door. Bulma cried out, running over and hugging Goku and Gohan. The men watched the stranger warily, keeping their gaze on him as he walked over and leaned against the wall, a small smile on his face. He seemed to be studying everyone.
"Well!" Vegeta snapped, "We're all together! You going to elaborate, or do I have to beat it out of you!?"
Trunks didn't move for a moment. He slowly straightened back up, meeting Vegeta and Goku's gaze as he started talking.
"I'm from the future," he stated softly, watching the men's eyes narrow. He reached into his pocket, producing two vials. He walked up to Goku. "Take this," he said, handing one to the warrior. Goku didn't reach for it.
"What's it for?" he asked softly, watching this boy that claims to be from the future sigh and close his eyes.
"It's for a virus that's you're going to catch in a few years," Trunks said softly, watching the man's eyes widen.
Goku slowly reached out and took it from his hand. "Why do I need this?"
"What you will get is a virus that attacks the heart. Not even a super saiyan can beat it," the boy stated, watching wariness creep into their eyes.
He walked over to Vegeta, his hand out. "You catch it too," Trunks stated softly, standing still as the older warrior studied him. Vegeta finally reached out and took the vial.
"How do you know about super saiyans?" Goku asked curiously, the wariness disappearing as the boy made no threatening moves toward him or his loved ones.
They watched the boy look away, his lips pressing into a thin line before slowly looking back at them. "My mother told me about them."
"Who's your mother?" Vegeta asked, narrowing his eyes.
The boy didn't say anything, just clenched his hands. There was a ruckus at the door. They all turned. Yamcha and Krillin scrambled in, both grinning a little at their friends standing in the living room.
"You!"
They all turned at the enraged word, in time to see the boy Trunks let out a yell, rage blazing in his eyes as his hair turned gold. He launched himself passed the two saiyans, tackling Yamcha. Krillin scrambled out of the way in time to avoid getting hit. They all stood in stunned silence for a moment before rushing outside, the sounds of a fight reaching their ears.
It wasn't much of a fight.
Yamcha was laying in a crater, obviously formed by his body. Trunks was inches above him, fiercely slamming his fists into the man's chest and face. The man didn't stand a chance. They could feel Yamcha's energy diminishing fast.
Goku and Vegeta grabbed Trunks, tackling him to the ground. They both had to use all their strength to hold him down. The boy yelled in outrage, glaring in fury at the man groaning, trying to get up.
"What the hell did you do Yamcha!?" Bulma shouted, putting her hands on her hips. She stalked over to the hole, glaring down at the man. The hard look fell off her face as she got a good look at him. Blood covered him, bits of white sticking out here and there, it taking her only a second to realize it was bones. His clothing he had on were now ripped and shredded. He was very close to dying.
The two saiyans had to pin the boy down with a knee to the shoulder as he tried to scramble out of their hold, intent on killing the man who was hanging onto life.
"Trunks!" Goku shouted, slamming the boys shoulders back onto the ground as he managed to lift himself up a little. He glanced at Vegeta. The prince was surprised as well, at the rage and power coming from this young man.
"That's enough!" Vegeta snapped, nicking the boy in the chin with his fist. They both jerked in surprise when it didn't seem to faze him.
"Trunks! Calm down! Now!" Goku commanded. Their eyes widened when the boy obeyed, his hair returning to black, his eyes fading from teal back to dark onyx. A sob escaped him. The men slowly got up, keeping an eye on him. He stayed on the ground, another sob escaping as he stared at the sky. Goku and Vegeta looked at one another, before Vegeta reached down and jerked the boy to his feet. He easily stood, fiercely wiping a hand over his face, shooting a deadly glare at the man dying in the crater, before turning and walking away. They all watched him, making sure he didn't sneak behind them to finish the human warrior. Goku turned towards Yamcha, sighing a little and walking over towards him. He gently picked him up, lifting off slowly and heading towards Korin's, intent on getting his friend the senzu beans he needed.
They all filed back into the house, not saying a word as they waited for the two to return. The boy Trunks leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, studying the floor the whole time. He didn't look up as Goku came back in, Yamcha behind him. They watched the boy tense, his blazing eyes following the human warrior across the room. He didn't move however.
Yamcha sat on the coffee table, eying the young boy for a few minutes before speaking.
"What's your deal, kid!?"
They watched Trunks grit his teeth, looking away, a muscle jumping in his jaw. He seemed to be trying to get a hold of himself. He muttered something.
"What was that!?" Vegeta snapped. "Speak loudly so we can hear you!"
The boy glared at Vegeta, although to a lesser extent than he did Yamcha. He studied the older saiyan for a moment before speaking.
"Just reminding myself what my mother told me," he stated softly, returning his gaze to the floor.
"And what was that?" the prince demanded, watching the boy.
Trunks looked up, his gaze roaming over the people in the room, his eyes narrowing as they settled on Yamcha for a minute, before meeting the prince's gaze.
"She made me promise not to kill anyone when I came back," Trunks stated, his jaw clenching.
"She was talking about Yamcha!?" Goku asked in disbelief.
Trunks crossed his arms, slowly nodding.
"What did he do?"
"Yeah! What did I do!?"
They watched Trunks tense as Yamcha spoke, gritting his teeth. A growl started low in his throat, the boy closing his eyes as pain appeared on his face.
"You had my mother murdered," he muttered, not opening his eyes.
Everyone looked at the boy in shock, before turning and looking at Yamcha.
"Yamcha," Bulma murmured, her voice laced in disbelief.
"What are you talking about!? I never had someone murdered!"
"You do in the future," Trunks stated, lifting his eyes and meeting the mans' sitting across the room. His glare was cold.
They watched Yamcha shiver, his throat working as he swallowed.
"I..." the human fighter swallowed again, his eyes wide. "Why would I do something like that?"
The boy didn't say anything, just looked away. Bulma stepped forward, studying Trunks jacket.
"Are you an employee?" she asked softly, looking at the boys face. "I've never seen-"
"No. I'm from the future."
"Oh," Bulma said, her voice small. She hesitated before speaking again. "Who's.." she took a small breath, her voice gentle. "Who's your mother?"
Trunks didn't say anything. A muscle continued to jump in his cheek.
"Am...I..."
"No!" Trunks finally confessed, "You're not my mother."
"Is she human?" Bulma asked, a little confused.
They all watched him nod.
"Who the hell is your father!?" Vegeta snapped. "You've clearly got saiyan blood in you!"
Trunks didn't say anything.
"Tell us! Now!" the prince demanded, taking a step towards him.
"I can't."
"Why not!"
"It might mess up the time line, and I might never be born."
"And what a shame that would be!" Vegeta snickered, "A half-breed like you! That would be a blessing!"
They all watched Trunks lift his head, his eyes snapping at the prince. They could feel his anger growing.
"You all are just like my mother said you would be," he stated quietly, "even you," Trunks murmured, his gaze landing on Yamcha.
"Your mother knows us! How!" Goku asked, a little excitement showing in his voice. The others looked this boy over again, a little curiosity starting among the group.
"Yeah, she knew you. She knew all of you. I used to go to sleep listening to her stories, wishing I could meet you," he stated, his eyes landing on Goku.
"Wait," Trunks eyes landed on Krillin as he spoke. "What do you mean, you wish you could have met us?"
"You're all dead in my time," Trunks stated softly. "That is, everyone but me, my...mother...was, and you," he said, narrowing his eyes on Yamcha.
Everyone jerked in surprise, looking at one another before Goku spoke again. "Why are we all dead? How far into the future did you come from?"
The boy seemed to hesitate for a moment, before his shoulders drooped a little.
"I'm from 20 years into the future," he sighed. "And as for the second part, that's why my mother had me come back. To warn you."
"Of what?"
"Androids."
"What are those?" Vegeta asked, his demeanor a little calmer.
They watched Trunks grit his teeth before answering. "They're ruthless killers who stop at nothing until every living thing is dead. You all died at the hands of these monsters, until the only one's left were me and my mother."
"Wait a minute," Goku said, crossing his arms. "I thought you said your mother was human."
There was a beat of silence.
"She was."
The fighters all looked at each other, slightly confused.
"Who was your mother," Goku asked quietly, watching the boy sigh as he took out a small case, clicking it open and taking a capsule out.
"Hey, I invented those!" Bulma said happily.
"I know," the boy said, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Well, then..."
"My mother loved them, actually took the technology and made it better, as a matter of fact." He looked at Bulma, a smirk appearing. "She was more of a genius than you were," Trunks stated, keeping the capsule in his palm.
Everyone was quiet as they watched him. He clicked the button on top of the tiny tube, bending down as a medium sized box appeared. It had the CC emblem on it as well. He opened it, taking out a disk. He didn't look up as he spoke.
"My mother was Trista."
He didn't glance up as everyone murmured amongst themselves, studying the disk for a moment before slowly walking towards Bulma. A small smile appeared on his face as she crossed her arms. He stopped in front of her, studying the woman before speaking.
"You were my mothers' best friend. When you died, along with the rest, she..." He paused, looking down at the disk in his hand. "She continued to advance the technology on this planet, made it to where we couldn't be detected by those fucking monsters. She saved many people's lives."
It was quiet in the room. Everyone watched this boy as he slowly looked up at the blue haired scientist, gently laying the disk in her hand.
"She wanted...everybody here to watch this," Trunks stated, "but she didn't know that...certain things were captured on film, so...just to warn you: My mother is...was ruthless, and what you see...will be explained after you all watch the whole video."
Curious, they all gathered around the television as Bulma inserted the disk.
A fuzzy picture appeared for a few seconds before a person popped up. But, this person looked nothing like anyone they knew. They watched a small smile appear on the woman's face...her eyes seeming to penetrate through the video, looking at each one of them. She had wild, black hair. Much like Goku's. Her eyes were red rimmed, and there was maroon colored fur covering her arms, her face solid and hard, even with the smile. Her teal colored eyes bore into each of theirs, a tail swishing behind her as she stepped back from the camera. They watched, bug eyed, as she crossed her arms, looking away for a moment before glaring into the living room.
"...I want you all to know," the woman paused, swallowing. "I miss you guys," she continued softly. "Very much." Her eyes lowered for a second, before a smirk appeared. "Especially you Bulma!" The woman looked up, a smile appearing. "We were a team...even when I surpassed you in intelligence," she stated, a smirk appearing again. The smile disappeared, her teal colored eyes going hard. A muscle started working along her jaw. "You guys...have to listen to my son's warning. These...monsters are nothing but cold blooded killers!" Her eyes seemed to meet everyone's in the room. "Every single one of you are dead. Yes, even you Goku!" Her tail wrapped around her waist, her eyes closing for a moment before opening again, focusing on the screen in front of her. "Now!" she said with authority, "If you would be so kind as to focus your attention on my son, he has a few gifts for you." She seemed to wait, a brow raising. They all glanced back to see Trunks pulling little boxes out of the bigger one. He started handing them out, glaring and clenching his jaw at Yamcha as one appeared in the fighters' hand. The woman seemed to know exactly when everyone received one, because as soon as the last one was handed to Vegeta, she started speaking again. "Take a moment to open and study the bracelets." She waited a moment. "Now push the top left button on the side," the woman instructed. They all hesitated for a moment, a little laughter escaping them as the woman sighed and rolled her eyes. "Any day now," she murmured, eerily knowing that they were hesitating. They all did as she asked, Vegeta waiting until everyone else had did theirs and, seeing no consequences, pressed his slowly. "Now," the woman said with a voice of authority, "the number 0 shows on the screen. That's how low the gravity is at the moment." The woman seemed to study them for a moment before slowly smiling. "Now put them on."
Goku turned to Trunks.
"How does she know that we wouldn't?"
Trunks just smirked.
They all did as she asked, though it was a slow process. "Okay, we're passed the little suspicious stage," she said, seeming amused. A few people chuckled. "Now I want just the fighters to press the bottom button, then wait for a moment."
They glanced at one another, before simultaneously pushing the button. Gasps raised around the room as all the fighters ki's seemed to diminish.
"What did she do to us?" Vegeta demanded, glaring at the boy standing a ways from him.
They all looked to the screen as the woman started talking. "Don't panic! That means you Vegeta!" Goku and the others chuckled, while the prince glared. "What the bracelet just did is hid your energy. No one can detect you! Not your friends, not the androids, nobody. You still have your energy, so don't start hyperventilating. It's just compressed. And..." the woman slowly grinned, a satisfied look entering her eyes. "You can still fight at your maximum level."
"How is that possible!" Bulma asked loudly, glancing down at her own bracelet, noticing it didn't have a top button like the fighters.
"Because Bulma," the woman said, a chuckle coming from her. "I advanced the technology of this world, to keep myself and others safe." Her face softened a little. "Although, unfortunately not in time to save everyone," she whispered, roaming her eyes around, looking at everyone. "I told you woman that I surpassed you in intelligence. Now you can apparently see, I wasn't lying," the woman stated, a smirk appearing. Excited chatter started, but quickly diminished as she started speaking again. "Oh, and Goku..." All eyes turned to him, then back as the woman slowly smiled. "You're gonna love the trick I taught my son!" Still smiling a little, she leaned forward to shut the computer off. There was a loud bang from somewhere off to the side. The woman whirled around, her arms coming to her waist. They heard someone walking across the floor. The woman stepped back from the camera, crossing her arms. "What the fuck do you want!" she demanded, her voice hard. The footsteps stopped, silence falling as they watched a man step into view. A hardened and older Yamcha appeared, an odd smirk on his face. "You're gonna get yours now," he muttered, his gaze turning towards the camera, looking above it. They watched as the woman slowly followed his gaze, her eyes widening a bit before rage blanketed her features. Her arm shot out as she powered up, grabbing Yamcha by the throat as she slowly looked back at him. "What did you do?" she said softly. The older man didn't say anything, his arms coming up and clutching her wrist. She seemed to squeeze harder. "What did you do!" she screamed, slamming him to the ground. Everyone watched in disbelief, not taking their eyes off the screen as she approached the camera, her gaze fixed above it, seeming to look out a window. It got darker in the room, the only light from the side lamp next to the monitor. They all watched fear creep into the woman's eyes, before she hardened her jaw, stalking back towards the older version of Yamcha. They watched as she stopped beside him, before raising her foot and slamming it into his chest. They flinched as he screamed in pain, his hands coming up to grab the woman's foot. She seemed to push harder, ignoring his desperate plea's. "Why the fuck is the eternal dragon summoned?" she demanded loudly. When he didn't respond, she viciously stomped him again. Everyone winced and looked away as they heard something crack. The Yamcha sitting in the room look horrified, his face white. The woman walked closer to the window, her hands balled at her waist as she growled, grunting a little as her hair and tail turned gold. With a snarl she turned, grabbing the man on the floor and throwing him through the wall. They all heard wood and glass shatter. Trunks ran into the room, his eyes wide. "Mom!" he said loudly, running after her as she stalked from the room. All eyes went to Trunks in Bulma's living room, but his gaze was riveted to the television. They all turned back, listening as pounding of flesh came from out of sight of the camera. "Go!" they heard Trista shout, her and Trunks appearing in the screen again. "What did he do, Mom! Why the hell is the dragon awakened!?" They watched her go around her son, studying the wall for a moment before turning back. She gestured towards the screen. "There's a video in there I want you to take with you Trunks," she stated, cutting him off when he went to speak. "I don't want no more excuses, dammit! You need to go and help that time! I don't want this happening again!" There was silence as they watched mother and son study each other. "But..." Trunks said, his voice breaking. "Who will be here to help you, mom!?" Trista laid a hand on her son's shoulder, patting it before going around him. "Mom!" he said, turning. "Where are you going!? Mom!" He ran off screen. "I'm going to put a stop to this!" they heard her state, her voice fading off to the side. It was silence for several minutes. A scream rendered the air, the people watching shivering as a yellow light blanketed the screen for a couple seconds, before diminishing. "MOOOM! NOOO!" They heard Trunks scream, a few minutes later Yamcha's body came flying across the room. Trunks appeared, the golden light encasing him growing with his rage. "You..." the boys' voice shook with fury, his hands shaking beside him. "You...had...my mother...MURDERED!" With a scream, he launched himself at the older warrior, punching him across the face and slamming his knee into Yamcha's already battered body. They heard a crack as he punched him again. Yamcha's head lay at an odd angle on the floor. He was dead, his neck broken. They watched, horrified, as his body twitched, a second later he was standing, good as new. He slowly smiled at the young boy's face of surprise. "Surprised?" Yamcha asked softly, chuckling. "What did you do?" Trunks whispered, his eyes widening with horror. "I wished for immortality," the older Yamcha stated, smirking. "You can't kill me." The Trunks on screen stared at him, before slowly laughing. "You're such a...fucking idiot!"the boy stated, his eyes hard. "What are talking about boy!?" Yamcha yelled, anger crossing his features. He smirked. "Now those androids can't kill me," he boasted, crossing his arms. Another small chuckle came from Trunks, before he glared at him, a hard look in his eyes and an evil smile on his lips. "Yes they can," he stated quietly, watching as Yamcha went ashen. "What..." the older man stuttered. "What are you talking about!?" he demanded, stepping closer to the young boy. An amused smile appeared on the boys' lips, his eyes still filled with fury. "They can kill you," he said slowly. "Over and over again. Just for their amusement." he smirked. "You just gave them a play thing for life. You!" He threw his head back, laughing. "It's fitting," he shouted, "It's what you deserve for killing my mother!" Trunks on screen suddenly swung, his furious eyes shining in the dim light. Yamcha went blasting through another wall, landing with a thud away from the camera. They watched a muscle clench in the boys' jaw, before he turned and approached the camera. His face fell, a choked sob escaping him as he turned away, pressing a button on the monitor. The screen went black.
No one spoke, all staring wide eyed at the television until Krillin slowly reached over and turned it off. They all turned their heads as Goku hesitated before speaking.
"Not to seem disrespectful, but..." he paused, studying the ground for a moment before turning and facing Trunks. "How did Trista transform her body like that?"
It was silent as everyone waited for the boys' answer. His low voice finally cut through the silence.
"She ascended beyond super saiyan three."
The fighters shouted in disbelief.
"She's not even a damn saiyan! How the hell did she do that!?" Vegeta shouted, his hands balling into fists at his sides.
Trunks studied the carpet for a moment, before looking Vegeta in the eye.
"She wished it," he said simply, his voice soft.
Everyone stared at him, shocked. "How!?" Goku asked, his mouth hanging open a little.
Trunks seemed to hesitate. "Well," he paused. "my mother was able to resurrect the dragon balls without a guardian." He held up his hand as they started to speak. "I don't know how!" he stated, "but the dragon saw how dire the world had become, and against his own rules, granted my mothers' wish."
"What exactly did she wish for?"
They watched as he swallowed, looking away from them as he answered.
"To be a greater warrior than Goku. To be able to save the earth before every living human was snuffed out of existence." Trunks paused for a moment. "She didn't wish to be a super saiyan, but that's what he turned her into, and...she was automatically given that power."
There was dead silence in the room, before they all saw Yamcha slowly stand. He studied Trunks, a broken look in his eyes.
"I'm..." his voice broke. "I'm sorry," he whispered, a tear running down his face.
Trunks glared at him for a moment, before looking around at the rest of them.
"Sorry doesn't bring her back," he stated, his voice barely audible. He turned and walked out of the room.