A Chance of a Lifetime – Chapter 24
They all talked for a while, discussing what methods they should take to try to stop Cell. Bulma finally stated that she would like to go home, so everybody slowly started leaving the lookout, Goku transporting the blue haired scientist to the compound. Trista strolled over to Krillin before he left.
"Krillin," she called, watching him slightly flinch. He slowly turned, a pained expression on his face. She raised a brow.
"Where did you put Android 18?" she asked softly, narrowing her eyes as his gaze slid away. He started sputtering.
"Out with it!" she snapped, crossing her arms. She heard Trunks walk up to them, but didn't take her eyes off the short man.
"Well," Krillin said slowly, rubbing his head. "She got away."
"WHAT!" Trista shouted, her eyes widening.
Vegeta and Piccolo came up, asking what was going on. Trista pointed to the bald man.
"He," she snapped, her teeth clenching. "Let the android go!"
"What!?" Vegeta snapped, glaring at the man.
Krillin started waving his hands. "NO! It wasn't like that! She woke up before I got here, and took off. I tried to stop her, but..."
Trista took a step forward. "Well, you didn't do a very good job, did you!"
She whirled around, stalking off, away from the men. Krillin took a step back as Vegeta and Trunks glared at him. They all turned in surprise as they heard the woman blast off.
"No! Mom, wait!" Trunks yelled, taking off after her.
Vegeta and Piccolo walked to the edge, watching both mother and son disappear. Piccolo looked over as he heard the prince sigh.
"You following them?" Piccolo asked softly, watching as Vegeta clenched his jaw.
The prince's eyes narrowed before glancing at the green warrior. He grunted, before blasting off, headed towards the woman and his son. Piccolo smirked, folding his arms.
"It's about time you cared about someone other than yourself," he stated softly, before turning and walking towards Kami, intent on convincing him to merge with him.
He found them in a fight with Cell, both fighting like they had been doing it for years. He watched, arms crossed, as Trista slammed a foot into the green androids stomach, the thing flying back. Trunks appeared, slamming his fists into the monsters back, watching as he slammed the ground. Vegeta caught sight of the blond android, watching from the other side of the island, half obscured by a massive cliff. He grunted, looking down as Cell yelled in outrage. A smirk appeared on Trista's and the boy's face. They lowered, landing on each side of him. Vegeta watched as he glared at the woman, his arms coming up to his sides.
"I knew I was right about you!" he stated loudly, his lip curling. "You're not an android!"
"Brilliant deduction, idiot!" she said, a small smile appearing on her face. She jumped away a few feet as Cell swung his tail towards her. She floated a ways from Vegeta. He kept his gaze on Cell, vaguely noticing when the blond woman took off. He looked up when he felt someone glaring at him. The prince glanced over.
"You going to help!?" Trista snapped, balling her hands into fists. "Or just stand there?"
He narrowed his eyes at her, before slowly lowering. He watched his son engage in battle with the thing, before it turned towards him.
"Come on Vegeta. Show me what you got," Cell said, laughter in his voice. Vegeta powered up, a yell coming from him as he transformed. He smirked in satisfaction, before launching himself at the monster.
Trista landed a little while later, eying the thing as Vegeta slammed the ground, his hair returning back to black. She laied a hand on Trunks shoulder, the boy standing off to the side. His body shook in outrage, his teeth grinding together as Cell chuckled.
"We need to get stronger," Trunks muttered, his gaze never wavering from the green android. "There's no way we'll beat him like this."
Cell heard him, a smirk appearing. "Oh don't worry," he said as a smile appeared. "As soon as I gain my perfect form, there won't be any reason to worry. You'll all be dead," the green android stated, folding his arms.
They looked down as Vegeta lifted himself up onto his hands and knees. "Then why don't you," he said, grimacing as he got up, stumbling a bit. He ignored the shouts from Trista and Trunks.
"What the fuck are you doing Vegeta!"
"Dad, don't!"
He took another big breath, standing straighter. "Go ahead Cell," he stated, his voice a little stronger. A smirk appeared. "Show us your perfect form."
Trista punched him, making him fall to the ground again. Vegeta glared at her, growling. She glared back, before turning her gaze to the green android.
"One stipulation," she said, her hands clenching.
Cell waited, narrowing his eyes.
"Give us ten days, then we'll fight you in a tournament," she stated, taking a step back as the thing smirked.
"What is this...tournament?" Cell asked, looking from the woman to the man.
"Where you can pit your strength against the strongest fighters," Trista stated, knowing that that kind of challenge would call to the saiyan cells in his body.
"Really!" Cell said, intrigued.
She slowly nodded, thanking God she was right.
The monster seemed to think it over, finally crossing his arms back and grinning.
"Fine," he stated, not saying anything else.
They stood in silence for a moment before Trunks spoke.
"How will we know were you're at!?"
Cell was quiet, studying the three warriors before smirking.
"I'll let you know, don't worry," he said, his voice silky.
With that he blasted off, in search of Android 18.
Mother and son looked at each other, worry apparent in their eyes.
"Well," Trista finally said, "At least I gave us extra time to prepare."
Trista punched Vegeta again as they landed outside Capsule Corporation. Trunks stood to the side, watching.
"What the hell is your problem, Woman!"
Vegeta landed on a knee, ignoring the people gathering outside the front door. He looked up at the woman standing over him, flinching slightly as she glared, murder in her eyes.
"Why don't you do it, Cell!" she mimicked, snarling at him before stomping passed the others gathered to watch, disappearing inside the house.
Vegeta glanced at Trunks, turning away at the look on his face, before standing and rubbing his jaw.
"What's going on?" Goku asked, looking at the two as he walked up. He crossed his arms.
Trunks glared at his father. "He," the boy pointed to Vegeta. "Let Cell absorb Android 18!"
"What!" the group shouted, their mouths open as they looked at the prince.
The man didn't say anything though, just let a sound of disgust out before stalking towards the house, not looking at anyone.
"That son of a bitch!" Bulma shouted, glaring at the prince's back. "Doesn't he care about anyone but himself!"
They saw Vegeta pause for a moment, not looking back, before he walked the rest of the way into the house. The others on the lawn were quiet, slowly shaking their heads at the man's blatant disregard for anyone's safety.
"Doesn't he care about Trista?" Goku asked quietly, glancing over at Trunks. "Doesn't he care about you?" He watched the young man look away.
"Cell played on his pride," Trunks stated quietly, "I know that's not an excuse, but you know how he gets when someone does that," he stated, looking back at Goku.
No one said anything, quietly going back into the house. Trepidation went through everyone, afraid of what will happen in the coming days.
He knocked on her bedroom door, listening to the silence. He knocked again.
"Go away! You bastard!"
Vegeta glared at the door, grabbing the handle and yanking the door open. He stepped in, slamming it closed and locking it. He studied the woman stalking up to him.
"I said leave me alone," Trista growled, her eyes snapping. She turned and quickly walked away from him. "Get out!" she snapped, crossing her arms.
He suddenly grabbed her and whirled her around. A muscle clenched in his jaw as she raised a hand to slap him. Vegeta caught it, his eyes never leaving the woman's face. He snaked an arm around her waist, ignoring her protests.
"Get away from me, traitor!" she screamed at him, pushing on his chest. "I don't want to fucking be around you!"
"Woman-"
"NO! You've doomed everyone!" She abruptly stopped struggling, her eyes shining with unshod tears. He watched her swallow. A hard look crossed her features, and her eyes narrowed.
"I'm glad I didn't have your child," she stated softly, watching dispassionately as his eyes widened. She didn't look away from the emotion in his eyes.
A moment later she was slammed against the wall, a small cry escaping her as her head smacked the wood. Vegeta pinned her, his eyes ablaze. She watched him, her breath hitching. He growled low in his throat, glaring at her for a moment before he swooped down, capturing her lips.
She squeaked in surprise, before she pushed him away. "Get off me!" she snapped, gritting her teeth. Vegeta grabbed her wrists, pinning them to the wall. He pressed his body against hers, not saying anything. Her eyes widened momentarily before she snarled, wiggling and trying to get away from him.
"I'm not," she said loudly, a gasp escaping as he kissed her neck. "No! Vegeta! I'm not..." she moaned as he slid his tongue against her skin, tingling starting in her belly. She took a breath, suddenly thrashing against him. "Stop, dammit!"
He moved away momentarily, before holding her wrists in one hand, and started taking her clothes off with the other.
"Vegeta, stop!" Trista shouted, thrashing and trying to get her hands loose. The prince ignored her, unzipping her top, sliding a hand over the black fabric beneath it. She felt her muscles quiver in her stomach, sucking in a breath. She glared at him, feeling his hand travel to the waist band of her pants. He unbuckled them.
She kicked at him, snarling as he studied her. There was some unknown emotion in his eyes she couldn't decipher, although his face remained impassive. That made her more pissed.
He pressed his body against hers when she tried to kick him again, pinning her legs with his. He leaned back slightly, still holding her wrists. He finished undoing her pants, snaking a hand in. Trista tensed, sucking in a breath.
She closed her eyes, feeling his gaze on her. She bit back a moan as he cupped her, moving his hand underneath her underwear. A gasp escaped as he stroked her, gritting her teeth as she felt her body softening. Dammit! She kept her eyes squeezed shut, her head turned away. She felt him switch hands on her wrists, and peeked at him from underneath her lashes. Vegeta had taken his armor off, slowly peeling the blue spandex down. Her eyes snapped open, and she started struggling again.
"No Vegeta! I'm not having sex with you!"
He seemed to ignore her, his hand going to her pants and yanking them down. She tried to kick him, but the damn leather had her legs pinned. He lifted one of her legs, yanking off a boot. He did it with the other, never taking his eyes off her face. They stayed like that for a few minutes, his suit around his waist, her pants around her knees.
"Vegeta," Trista said softly. "I don't-"
She cut off as he yanked his suit off, tearing her underwear and leather pants off of her, slamming into her in one smooth motion. She cried out, her eyes closing. She leaned forward involuntarily as he pumped into her, her chin resting on his shoulder, her hands clenching his arms. Vegeta didn't utter a word, just grabbed her waist and held her still as he increased his thrusts, listening to her softly moan in his ear. He splayed a hand on the wall, pushing her up against the wood as he pushed into her, again and again.
She bit back a sob as he increased his thrusts, a cry escaping her unwillingly. Tingles shot through her, making her body soften even more, grabbing his forearms as he pushed her against the wall, increasing his speed. The sound of skin slapping echoed throughout the room, as he kept his gaze focused on the wall, a muscle jumping in his jaw as he breathed in the scent of the woman in his arms. He felt her finally clench around him, closing his eyes and groaning. He growled as he reached his own release, feeling her shudder against him. The prince didn't look up as a small sob escaped the woman. He lifted his head a little, catching her eye as she slowly stood on her own feet. She slapped him. He let her, slowly bringing his head back around to glare at her. He winced inward at the look on her face. His gaze never wavered from her, until she sobbed and pushed away from him. He heard the rustling of clothes, bending down to get his own. He threw them into the hamper, slowly walking over to the dresser containing some of his own, and pulled a shirt and sweats out. He heard her stop moving, feeling her eyes on his back as he dressed. The prince paused for a moment, staring out the window for a few minutes before turning to the woman standing a few feet from him. She looked nothing like she did an hour ago, regular clothing on her, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. He watched her swallow and look away from him. She sat on the bed, crossing her arms.
"Get out," she said softly, not looking up as he walked towards her. Trista didn't acknowledge him standing there, just turned her head away.
Vegeta didn't say anything, studying her for a moment before pivoting and stalking out, not looking back as the door slammed behind him.
She wouldn't have nothing to do with him. She ignored him if he tried to talk to her, stayed away from the training pod when he was around, even avoided going to her favorite spot on the roof, in case he tried to catch her there. She would not give him the time of day, knowing everyone thought it was because of what he did with Cell. She let them, even though it was partly true, but not all. She shoved what happened out of her mind, focusing on the scouter she was working on. She had holed herself up here for days on end, ignoring Bulma's worried questions, and just worked on whatever she could get her hands on. She was currently modifying a scouter that had came from Namek, though she didn't know why. Bored, mostly. And to stay away from Vegeta. He never came down here.
"Why are you still down here?"
Well, almost never. She ignored the man, grabbing a small screwdriver and taking the small panel off the side of the scouter, exposing the circuits and computer, studying it for a moment before she started taking it apart. She kept her gaze on the thing, not acknowledging when he finally left with a sound of disgust. Sighing, finally rid of his presence, she focused on her work. A few hours later, she put the tiny panel back on, donning the scouter and turning it on. She watched the words appear, turning her head when Trunks entered the lab. His power level popped up, along with his stats and weaknesses. Trista turned it off, satisfied. She sat it on the table, looking over when the young man remained quiet.
"What is it son?" Trista asked, noticing the worried look on his face. She watched him hesitate before speaking.
"We're going back to the lookout, to use the training chamber again before going up against Cell." He paused for a moment, studying her. "Do you want to go?" he asked quietly, watching his mother narrow her eyes at the table.
"No," she whispered, picking the scouter up and throwing it into the box of others she had already modified. Boredom could get things done, even meaningless tasks.
Trista ignored his surprised look, his body straightening as he stared at her.
"Why not?"
"I'm not going to benefit you or anyone else. I'm only good for one thing, apparently, and I'm staying here, doing what I do best. Working in here," she finished, glancing over at him before pulling a small computer over to her halfheartedly.
He listened to his mother softly sigh, worry going through his mind. Trunks looked over, noticing his father in the doorway, studying his mom. She didn't look up though, just started taking the computer apart, almost on autopilot. Trunks watched his dad's eyes narrow, before a muscle clenched in his jaw as he walked away. He didn't say a word. Trunks looked back over at her, studying her as she started working over the table, her eyes focused on what she was doing. He put a hand on her shoulder, not saying anything before walking out of the lab.
Emotions continued to choke her as the days flew passed, knowing they were going up against Cell. Bulma tried to get her to watch the news broadcast, but she refused, instead holed herself back up in the lab and ignored almost everybody. She looked down at the screwdriver in her hand, blinking at it before letting it clunk onto the table. She sighed, folding her arms on the table and resting her head on them, closing her eyes. She was tired, and had been avoiding her bedroom, since...She stopped the train of thought. Grabbing a few restless hours of sleep in the lab, like she'd been doing for days, she was surprised she wasn't as tired as she figured she should be. Sighing again, she let her mind drift, slowly succumbing to sleep.
She watched him reform, terror coursing through her as he appeared in front of the fighters, a chuckle escaping. He let out a blast. They all watched it, weaving around Gohan, then Piccolo, heading straight for Trunks. "NOOOO!" she screamed, racing over towards him. But it was too late. She watched in horror as the blast went through him, his eyes widened in surprise and terror, flying back and smacking the ground. She slid as she fell to his side, her knees slamming the ground as she leaned over him. A sob escaped her as he sucked in one more breath, then became still. A cry left her, listening with half an ear as a fight broke out behind her, the light from the energy beams turning Trunks face white, playing over his features. She cried out again, laying her head on his chest. "No!No!No!" she whispered, another sob escaping her. 'Why couldn't I have gotten here sooner, I might have prevented this!' she thought, a hand covering her mouth. 'I could have blocked it from reaching him!' Trista wiped her face, feeling a hand softly graze her elbow. She bit back a sob, looking down. Trunks had his head turned towards her, his eyes focused on her face. "Mom," he whispered. "You'll see me again," he stated, his voice almost nonexistent. He moved his hand slightly, touching her abdomen. She looked down, staring at his hand for a moment, before glancing back up at her grown son. A gasp escaped. He was gone. She looked around. She was alone on the desert floor, the only thing around her was the wind as it blew through the barren valley.
Trista jerked up, a bad feeling settling in her chest. Her eyes widened, tears falling out as she thought about what she just dreamed. She scrambled off the chair, running towards the living room. Bulma looked up, worry blanketing her features. Trista felt her own face go white. The television was fuzzy, no picture on the screen.
"What happened?" she whispered, not taking her eyes off the television.
Bulma swallowed. "The image went out about an hour ago, and it hasn't came back," her voice broke as she finished, a sob escaping her.
Trista sucked in a breath, thinking about her son. She jerked the lab coat off, putting two fingers to her forehead. Ignoring Bulma's shout, she disappeared.
She appeared on the battlefield, her eyes going straight to her son. She heard the others shout as Cell appeared, and just like in her dream, a blast rang out. Not saying anything, she ran. Trista reached him just in time, throwing her arms around his neck as soon as the blast hit, slamming into her back. She vaguely felt it when they smacked the ground, Trunks putting an arm around her, before she didn't feel anything at all anymore.