A Chance of a Lifetime – Chapter 9
Goku found the boy standing on the patio, his gaze riveted towards the sky. He seemed to be studying the stars. Goku didn't say anything, just stopped beside him, and looked out as well. They stayed there for awhile, before Goku finally looked over at the boy. He had tears running down his face. Trunks voice broke the silence.
"You know," he said softly, his voice almost a whisper. "My mother admired all of you greatly, even...Yamcha...at one point."
"What happened between her and Yamcha to cause such...hate?" Goku asked softly, his brows furrowed.
Trunks sighed, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Goku saw him swallow with difficulty.
Goku hesitated before speaking. "Yamcha's not your-"
"Don't insult me, Goku," Trunks snapped, cutting him off. "That jackass is not my father. My mother wouldn't stoop so low."
He finally opened his eyes and turned to study the older man. "You should have known that he not! I'm half saiyan."
"Yeah, about that! Could you tell us who IS your father?"
Trunks studied him for a moment before raising his head and started watching the sky again.
"I told you Goku. I can't."
The older saiyan sighed, crossing his arms and studying the patio floor. "What about that tension and hate between your mother and Yamcha? Can you tell me that!"
He watched Trunks slowly nod. "It started when my father died. He was supposed to back him up when they went to try to take out the androids, but Yamcha chickened out...fled. He left my father to die at the hands of those monsters. I was only four months old at the time."
"That caused the rift," he continued after a few moments, "and Yamcha, because of what he did, was never welcomed back here. He...became dark. Intent on getting back at my mother for messing up his cushioned life. Him and Bulma were not getting along, so she didn't argue when my mother did that." He looked over at Goku. "I think that's what made him so angry. Because Bulma sided with my mother."
Trunks studied him for another moment, before turning and walking down the steps, slowly walking across the yard. He turned back with Goku when Krillin stepped out of the sliding doors.
"You guys need to come see this. There's more footage showing on that disk."
The two saiyans followed the man inside the house.
Bulma was rewinding the footage when they walked in, everyone was quiet as the whirring sound filled the room. Trunks slowly sat on the couch, his gaze focused on the television. He vaguely noticed when Goku sat beside him. No one said a word as the video started.
"...Trunks..." A normal Trista was sitting on the floor, her older face etched with grief as she stared at the floor. She suddenly lifted her head, tears streaming down her face. "You'll remember this...someday," her throat worked for a moment. A baby cried off to the side. They watched her shakily get to her feet, a few minutes later she appeared again, a baby in her arms. It was wrapped up in a blanket, its arms flailing slightly before settling down. Trista studied the baby for a moment before slowly lifting her head towards the camera. She had a heartbroken look in her eyes as she turned away, looking out the balcony window. They all could tell she was at Capsule Corps. "Almost everyone is dead," she whispered, not turning away from the window. "All that's left are us. Me, you," she said, looking down at the baby. "Goku, Vegeta, Yamcha, and Bulma." They watched her close her eyes. "It might seem like a good thing that Goku and Vegeta are alive but..." she gave a humorless laugh. She started crying again. "What good is that if they can't even beat the androids!? Gohan's dead, Tien, Krillin..." She looked back at the camera. "They went after the weak ones first. And yes, I realize that's a ridiculous thing to say because me and Bulma are still alive, but..." Trista got back up after the baby fell back to sleep, staying out of frame for a few minutes. They could here her sobbing. She finally sat back down, wrapping her arms around her knees. "They consider us worthy to live because we can repair them if need be. Me and Bulma. I tried to place a bomb in them once when that happened but," Her mouth opened and closed as a sob escaped her. "They killed Gohan right in front of us as punishment!" No one said anything as she softly sobbed. "...And...I've been making these video journals in the hope that someday...perhaps...someone else can see them and know what to do...if it happens to them." She wiped the tears off her face, taking a shuddering breath before continuing. They watched her face harden, a steely look entering her eyes as she slowly looked back at the camera. "I have a better idea," she whispered, a semblance of a smile on her face. "I'm going to cut them at the knees," she stated, a smirk appearing. "It's time you learned," she said a little louder, studying the camera lens. "Why I never went back to my own time." A smile appeared. "I'm going to send you back," she said, looking off to the side of the room. It slowly fell as she turned her head back, her brows furrowed. "Now, to think of a way to cover your energy," a small smile appeared again. "Cuz your very powerful my son, just like your father." They watched her cover her eyes, her shoulders shaking. There was a sudden crash downstairs. Trista jumped up, camera forgotten, and starting running from the room. They could hear her shouting Bulma's name.
"This is creepy, you guys," Bulma stated, moving closer to Goku. He put his arm around her, sitting her on his other side. Gohan came and sat at his father's feet, his face white.
They all listened as there seemed to be a big crash, then shouting. Then suddenly Yamcha was there, on the screen. He had a hardened look on his face. They watched him stalk towards the side of the screen, then a baby started crying. Trista and Bulma appeared, screaming at him. "What the fuck do you think your doing!" Trista shouted, a look of fury on her face. "Get the hell away from my son," she said, her voice low. She started marching towards Yamcha. Everyone watched as she abruptly stopped, the older warrior coming into sight. He had the baby held by a foot, upside down. A lethal knife at its neck. "This fucking child is better off dead. We don't have a chance!" Everyone sucked in a breath. They watched as Yamcha suddenly dropped the baby, flying out the balcony doors as Trista slammed a fist into his jaw. She picked up her baby, a deadly look in her eyes. Yamcha flew back in. "You stupid bitch, do you want the androids to eat that baby alive! Give him here, I'll do the honors, since his daddy is dead." They watched the blood drain from Trista's face, her eyes widening. She narrowed her brows dangerously low a second later, her eyes shining. "If they're all dead, how come you're not?" Bulma stepped up beside her, her hands covering her face. She was crying. "Vegeta! Goku!" The blue haired scientist fell to her knees, sobbing. Trista remained standing, glaring at Yamcha. A surprised gasp escaped her a moment later. "You..." she whispered, staring at him for a moment before a look of pure fury blanketed her features. "You son of a bitch! You ran, didn't you! You knew!" she gave Bulma the baby, stepping towards the scarred warrior. Her hands balled into fists at her side, her hair started lifting. "You knew!" she screamed, "that this was our last chance to defeat them, that Goku and Vegeta have given all they got. You were supposed to be there to back them up! Give them aid when they needed it!" Trista was screaming now. "And you ran like a little bitch!" Yamcha launched himself at her. She waited until he was close to her, and swung. A loud smacking sound made everyone flinch, as the Yamcha on the video staggered back. "What the hell!" he shouted. Trista smirked. "I learned a few things," she stated, a small smile on her face. He lunged at her again. She shot up into the air, watching him land on his stomach before ramming her feet into his back. She backed away as he shot back up, backhanding her across the face. She went flying, the camera falling onto the floor. The video was sideways, the image of Bulma holding baby Trunks the only thing they saw. The blue haired woman's gaze was wide, watching a fight being heard out of sight. She suddenly blinked, looking down, straight at the camera. They watched the Bulma on the tape study it for a moment, before walking over. The camera jiggled as she picked it up with one hand. Bulma's older face filled the screen, a broken look in her eyes. She looked back at the two fighting off screen, then back down at the baby. She finally lifted her head, looking straight into the lens. A small smile appeared. "Just remember Trunks," she whispered, taking a breath. "If all else fails," Bulma paused, her eyes shifting to the side for a moment before returning. A genuine smile appeared. "Your mom can kick some ass!" A tear slid out of her eye as she looked back down at the baby, her hand holding the camera. The screen went black.
Everyone was silent. The screen finally went fuzzy, the white noise the only sound in the room. Trunks finally broke the silence.
"I didn't know that was on there," he stated softly, still staring at the screen. "She must have...she must have taped over some of that to make the footage for you guys."
Bulma was silently crying, a hand covering her mouth. The others glanced at Yamcha. He had a haunted look in his eyes, his skin ashen, his throat working as he stared at the television. "I..." he stopped, clearing his throat. "I can't imagine myself doing anything like that," he whispered, a shudder running through him.
No one said anything, just finally looked over at Trunks. He kept his gaze on the floor, a muscle ticking in his jaw. They could see his hands clenching.
"So which one is it?"
They looked over as Vegeta spoke. "What?" Trunks whispered, still looking at the floor. They watched the prince walk to the back of the couch, stopping behind where the boy was sitting, glaring at his back.
"Which one is your father? Me or Kakkarot?"
Trunks tensed, his head slowly coming up. His brows narrowed, but he kept silent. Vegeta gave a sound of disgust, reaching over and grabbing the boys' jacket. Trunks shot up, yanking himself away from the prince, shooting him a glare before leaving the room. A low growl came from Vegeta. Goku stood up.
"Wait. Trunks," Goku said softly, but firmly. The boy sighed, stopping and turning. He waited.
"I have a question," the older saiyan said, watching the boys features.
Everyone waited. "What?" Trunks finally said, when Goku didn't say anything else.
"If..." Goku paused, narrowing his eyes. "If Trista wished herself to be that strong, why didn't she finish off the androids before they killed her?"
They all looked at Trunks, waiting. He took a step into the room. "Because as soon as they felt her power, they went into hiding," he swallowed, looking away for a moment before meeting Goku's gaze. "The androids don't have energy signals like we do. You can't detect them, so it was hard for us to track them down. And we couldn't leave all those innocent lives unprotected for very long. We had gathered all the remaining humans and made CC our base, my mom made it a practical fortress."
They watched him smile slightly.
"They were afraid of her," Trunks said, pride in his eyes. "They couldn't beat her, so they did the next thing," his face hardened. "They manipulated some around her. Yamcha, for instance, to snag the dragon balls. Of course," he paused for a moment, swallowing. "They promised the people that they wouldn't kill them, that they would restore the world to what it once was. And they gave him," he gestured to the scarred warrior. "A wish. The dragon balls had three, and they gave one to him first, so long as he tricked my mother into coming to them afterward." Trunks closed his eyes, a muscle jumping in his jaw. They could barely hear him as he started whispering. "They waited until she came outside, not even ten feet from them, and wished her back into a regular human," he paused, a tear sliding down his cheek. "Now my mom was a great fighter, but as a human, she didn't stand a chance against them monsters."
They all studied the boy as he kept silent. Goku's voice cut through the air a few minutes later.
"What happened?" he whispered, trepidation racing down his spine at the look on Trunks face.
"I followed her. I was going to try to help or stop her, I didn't know which at the time. But she flew too fast for me to catch up. I got there...as soon as they made the wish," a sob escaped the boy, a haunted look in his eyes. He met Goku's gaze. "They beat her to within an inch of her life, and she kept yelling at me to leave, but...I couldn't. I was running up to drag her away when they knocked me back. They each..." Trunks stopped, as if he couldn't talk anymore. It took him a couple minutes to finish, his voice heartbroken. "They ripped her to pieces, then they disintegrated her. There was nothing left."
"Why couldn't you just wish her back, boy?" Vegeta asked gruffly, his own throat working. They watched Trunks slowly shake his head.
"My mother brought the dragon balls back. When she died, so did they."
Without another word, Trunks whirled around and ran from the house.
They all stood in shocked silence, horrified of the picture he painted of these androids, these machines, that were supposed to descend on them in a couple years. Goku looked at Vegeta, watching as the prince lifted his head and met his gaze. They studied each other for a moment, before Vegeta turned and left.
"Who were those men that kidnapped the girl this morning?"
Vegeta's voice came from right behind him, making him tense. Trunks narrowed his eyes at the sky, not moving.
"Some of Sabiums henchmen," he stated, crossing his arms. "When Sabium was defeated two years ago-"
"That just happened!" Vegeta snapped, watching the boy whirl around.
"What!?"
"Yesterday, as a matter of fact," the prince said softly, watching Trunks face go white. The boy stared down at the ground for a moment, before slowly lifting his head. He met the prince's gaze.
"How old is my mother in this time line?" Trunks asked softly, his gaze never wavering.
"She said she was nineteen," the prince said softly, watching the play of emotions flit over the young boys' face.
"Two years prior," he whispered in slight alarm, watching the prince cross his arms.
"What do you mean?"
Trunks looked away, taking a deep breath. He finally looked back at Vegeta.
"She was supposed to be two years older than she is now," he whispered, watching an eyebrow raise on the older man's face.
Trunks felt his face flush slightly. "I'm supposed to be born at least two years from now."
Neither said anything else, Trunks letting the prince study him before turning and walking away.
A/N: Hope you like the chapter! Please REVIEW!