Lazuli had never been one for patience.
Her foot tapped the air and her finger drummed in a rhythm against the armrest as her patience slowly withered. Bulma ignored it for as long as she could, lost in the gossip magazine, but the tapping eventually became too much for her, drilled into her brain like a woodpecker and she lowered her magazine with a sigh.
"Lazuli, please stop."
The Android huffed in annoyance. "If I don't get seen soon, I'm going to start murdering people again."
"Don't be so dramatic. We've only been here five minutes."
"Five minutes? It feels like it's been an hour. Why am I being kept waiting?"
"Hey, what do you think about this?" Bulma said suddenly, handing her the magazine.
The photo shown was of a wedding dress and Lazuli made a face, hastily shoving the magazine back. "What the hell is wrong with you, woman?"
"Well, you and Trunks are having a baby; I simply thought the next step would only be logical."
The image of the wedding dress burned in Lazuli's mind and she resisted the urge to puke. Thankfully, she had already done that part this morning. "It's one thing to have a baby, but it's another to get…married. I can't see myself as anyone's wife and I don't want to."
"Ah, well, maybe you might change your mind."
The Android side-eyed the blue-haired woman and was about to retort, but a doctor stepped into the waiting room. "Lazuli?"
"About time," she huffed as she pushed off from her seat. "I was this close to murder."
Bulma gave the shocked doctor a comforting smile and she followed them to the maternity ward, where the doctor showed them into a room and told Lazuli to hop onto the chair.
"So, how far along are we?" the doctor asked.
Lazuli scrunched up her face. "Ten, eleven weeks, I think?"
"Hmm, well alright, let's have a look, shall we? Please lift up your shirt so we can get started."
She did as he asked, exposing her stomach as the doctor prepared the ultrasound. Bulma watched on, anticipation building inside at the thought of getting to see her grandchild and she internally lamented that her son wasn't here to see it. He was busy with Chronoa, trying to track down the missing Ocarin and as a result, regretfully had to miss this appointment. That said, Trunks did promise that he would be at the next available appointment if possible.
Lazuli winced at the cold gel when it touched her skin and the doctor then ran the transducer over her stomach, watching the nearby monitor as the sound waves bounced through the Android's body.
"Ah, there we are," the doctor announced. "Only a tiny thing right now, but still there. So far, from what I can see, everything is looking good and healthy, but we'll know more at a later date."
A smile came to Bulma's face at the image on the monitor and Lazuli eventually looked. Like the doctor said, it was tiny, but unmistakable: her child, growing within her body. Something unexplainable rose up inside the Android at the picture, but she clamped down on it, not wanting to get her emotions to get the better of her. She did wish Trunks was here to see it with her and she could only hope that Chronoa wasn't too much of a pain to deal with and would allow him to see this for himself. But in the two weeks since Ocarin went missing, Trunks had been doing all he could to locate the Namekian; Lazuli herself wasn't entirely concerned.
"So, we'll schedule another appointment for your thirteenth week," the doctor stated as he gave Lazuli a small towel to clean herself. "And we'll go from there."
"Thank you," Bulma smiled. "We're looking forward to it."
"Yeah, can't wait," Lazuli deadpanned as she hopped off the table, her hand lingering over her stomach, the reality sinking in. This was actually going to happen and she felt her world changing and twisting into something she felt she wasn't prepared for. "Kami, this is actually going to happen?"
-X-
Age 763.
WHAM!
Trunks' head spun as he crashed into the walls of the Lookout. Garlic Jr. laughed manically, vibrating with dark magic fuelling his power. The half-Saiyan shook the rubble from his hair as he stood. Piccolo, Krillin and Gohan were all struggling to stand, the Namekian fading in and out of existence. Tapion was busy dealing with the previous Guardians, trying to stop them from harming Kami, a difficult task as they too were under Towa's dark magic.
It had been a hectic fortnight ever since Ocarin disappeared. Since then, Trunks had been scouring the Time Scrolls in search of the Namekian, chasing him down in time where Towa and Mira were present, only to lose him at the last second. According to Chronoa, Ocarin was actually under Demigra's magic, not Towa and yet, the Demon Wizard was still within the Crack of Time. It made no sense to Trunks: why was Demigra biding his time when he had the opportunity to escape right now? Why possess Ocarin if he wasn't going to use him as anything other than bait for Trunks to chase? Why was Demigra toying with him? For what gain?
Hefting himself up, Trunks dusted the debris from his shoulders and fixed Garlic Jr. with a serious look. "Was that supposed to hurt?"
Garlic Jr. "You worm! If you think you can take me, why don't you step up to the pitch and let's have a swing, shall we?"
The hybrid rolled his head, getting rid of the crick from his neck. "Well, since you asked so nicely."
He flew at the Makyan and dodged his meaty fist, slamming a solid kick into Garlic Jr.'s head. Dazed, the immortal staggered back, drool dribbling down his chin, but he recovered in time to snatch Trunks' fist with a wicked grin – Trunks kneed him in the face.
"Curse you, worm!" Garlic Jr. snarled, blood trickling from his nose. "You've made me bleed!"
"And here I thought you were immortal," the half-Saiyan smirked. "Are you ready for your end?"
"Fool, you can't defeat me!"
"Okay, Tapion's dealt with the Guardians," came Chronoa's voice. "Time to wrap it up."
Garlic Jr. growled and fired an energy blast; Trunks dodged and unleashed a Double Buster that connected and followed up with a Finish Buster. The Makyan snarled his frustrations from the energy attacks and when a Galick Gun struck, it stripped the dark magic from the immortal Makyan, immensely dropping his power.
"No, no!" Garlic Jr. barked and he sensed the dispersion of the Black Water Mist, no doubt thanks to Kami's efforts and the frustration of having his plans ruined finally became too much. "Fine. It's to the Dead Zone for you all."
"Trunks, I'm sensing a familiar kind of energy," Chronoa reported.
"Ocarin?"
"No, it's Mira. You've wrapped everything up here; history is fine, so go check it out. I'll send Tapion too."
As Piccolo, Gohan and Krillin began to stir, prepared for the final battle with the Makyan, Trunks left the combat zone and headed out into the sky, where Tapion soon joined him. Sure enough, Mira appeared, Towa hanging back as she sat witch-like on her staff.
"You two have become quite a problem of late," the demoness stated. "Your boss is throwing quite the wrench into my plans."
"Where's Ocarin?" Trunks demanded.
"My dear boy, what makes you think I have him? He's not under my control."
"I know that, but he's been showing up when you have, so I'll ask again: where is he?"
Towa laughed. "Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you. There's no fun in that. What there is fun in is watching Mira tear you two apart. Mira, dear, if you will."
Mira didn't respond, his gaze fixated on the Lookout below. The Dead Zone opened, the Makyo Star in proximity to Earth and Gohan was fighting a fierce mental battle against Garlic Jr., using his force field to protect Piccolo and Krillin from being swept into the unknown dimension.
"Mira, has something caught your attention? Something more important than what is going on here?"
"That boy…" Mira murmured. "So much potential…"
A mighty Masenko beam split the sky and annihilated the Makyo Star, ending the battle against Garlic Jr. as the Makyan was sealed away forever in the Dead Zone. Trunks clenched his fists in anger as Mira continued to gaze at Gohan's location.
"You stay the hell away from Gohan!"
"Not like you can stop me."
Trunks transformed into a Super Saiyan. "Try me."
"You are not worth my time," Mira sneered.
"Scared?"
Towa sighed and rolled her eyes. "Am I wasting my time here? Mira, you're supposed to be destroying these two, not engaging in a pissing contest with them."
"We should go," Mira stated. "There is something I wish to discuss in private."
"You're not going anywhere!" Tapion cried as he drew his sword. He lunged at Mira and executed a mighty downward swipe with his blade, but the two demons vanished in time. "Damn it! I'm tired of this game of theirs."
Trunks relaxed his powers. "You and me both, my friend."
-X-
Lazuli hated this.
She hated sitting around, unable to help in any way because she now had to be responsible for another life. Trunks was running around through time, trying to stop any changes in history and prevent Demigra from escaping, while she sat at home, waiting.
She had the biggest connection to Demigra out of all of them, given that he resurrected her to use as his pawn, so she had every right to be out there helping to stop him. But on the other hand, since he gave her life, he could perhaps easily take it away again and Lazuli knew she couldn't risk that happening. Not like she had a say in the matter, what with her pregnancy and all.
But she wanted to be out there, fighting alongside Trunks, not stuck at home like a common housewife because she was carrying a child – and yet, her child's safety was of the utmost importance. Hell, if it wasn't for Demigra, the child's existence wouldn't even be possible and while she was full of resentment at not being able to participate, Lazuli could admit she would rather go through with the pregnancy to see the end result than face Demigra…to an extent. Even if she had not a single clue whatsoever on how to be a mother.
"Ugh, this sitting around is driving me insane. I need to do something."
Shopping had always been her stress relief, but that came with the realisation that she had nothing for the baby and it was something she definitely needed to do. She would've liked Trunks to come with her to help her with such matters, but he wasn't here right now.
"Looks like it's you and me, kiddo," Lazuli spoke to her stomach. "Daddy's off protecting the universe."
Her and Trunks raising a child together. Again, the thought struck her that she never could've imagined a scenario like this in a million years. She quite literally had watched him grow up from a scrawny boy into a strong man (Hell if that didn't make her sound like a cougar. At least she didn't look like one. Sorry, Bulma) and now she was carrying his child. If Lazuli wanted to analyse it further, she could almost say it was completely weird, given the age gap between them, but right now, she was not in the mood for it and after swiping Bulma's credit card, the Android left for the shops.
-X-
"You look troubled."
Trunks swivelled around to face Tapion and gave him a small shrug. "Just…thinking about a lot of things."
"Tell me. What's on your mind?"
"A number of things really. I'm concerned about Lazuli, I'm concerned about Ocarin and I'm concerned about what Mira looks to have planned for Gohan."
"Okay, let's start with Lazuli. What's concerning you the most about her?"
Trunks wet his lips with his tongue as he thought over his next words. "Impending parenthood, I guess. We didn't have the best history while I was growing up and I just wonder if it's possible that we can actually raise this child together. I hope we can, because I am looking forward to it, but I just worry…that one or both of us will screw it up somehow."
"You're nervous," Tapion noted. "And while I'm not in that position so I don't know it's like, but I understand. It's a huge responsibility you're undertaking."
"Sometimes I wonder if we're even the right kind of people to be raising a child," Trunks admitted. "I know Lazuli has changed and I know I won't be like my father, but…I still worry."
"You'll be fine, Trunks. Trust me. You'll give that kid all you've got and you'll do it to the best of your ability, I know it," Tapion said. "Not everyone is perfect, so don't worry; the kid has you as a father."
The half-Saiyan gave a small, unsure smile. "I hope so. I really hope so. I don't want the child to have the same childhood that I had and I fear that despite everything I do, I won't be able to provide that."
The Konatsian placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You'll do fine."
"Uh, guys," Chronoa announced her presence, slowly approaching the pair. "We have a problem."
"Mira?" Trunks asked and the Supreme Kai nodded.
"Unfortunately, you can't go on this mission, Trunks."
"What, why? Does it involve Gohan?"
She nodded. "It does. And I cannot send you because I know how much Gohan means to you; I cannot risk anything happening to history."
It clicked in his brain what she meant: Gohan's last stand against the Androids. That moment had a massive impact on Trunks; if he could change that moment and somehow prevent Gohan from dying, he would in a heartbeat. But he also knew he couldn't disobey the Supreme Kai and if she forbade him from intervening, knowing what his emotions would be like, then he would concede to her.
"Very well," Trunks finally said. "Tapion, you'll have to go."
"I'll do my best," the Konatsian affirmed and he took the scroll from Chronoa, disappearing from the Time Nest.
The Supreme Kai gave the half-Saiyan a sympathetic smile. "He'll be fine."
"I hope so," Trunks said. "Mira is quite strong and he has Towa backing him up – I wish Tapion didn't have to go in alone. I hate that I can't help him."
"Again, he'll be fine."
-X-
Tapion was not doing fine.
A blow from Mira sent him crashing into the rain-soaked road, his sword clattering from his hand. Towa chuckled in amusement, as Mira slowly descended. Tapion coughed and crawled towards his sword, but Mira kicked it out of reach and planted his boot onto the Konatsian's back, pinning him down.
"You were a fool to stand in the way of my evolution," the Demon Android said as he prepared a ki blast. "You should learn your place."
Tapion screamed in agony when the energy wave engulfed him. The explosion caught the attention of the combatants nearby, 17 and 18 pausing in their beat down on Gohan. The one-armed warrior was thankful for the brief reprieve, his body wracked with pain and with the Androids distracted, he attempted a counterattack – 17 easily swatted his energy blast aside.
"Looks like that was your last shot," the Android smirked. "Time to die now."
"Leave him!" Mira commanded, appearing nearby. "He is mine."
"Who the hell are you?" 18 demanded. "Can't you see we're in the middle of something?"
"He is mine," Mira repeated threateningly. "He is so full of potential; so much power, more than enough for my evolution. He. Is. Mine."
"I have no idea what you're blabbering about, but you're annoying me," 17 said and he fired the Photon Flash.
Mira smacked the blast aside, much to the shock of the three before him. Before anyone could react, he had belted the Androids aside and grabbed Gohan by the throat, lifting him with ease. The half-Saiyan choked and with his remaining arm, tried to free himself, but his weak blows were unnoticed by Mira, as he studied his prey with unnerving calm.
"Yes, perfect. So much untapped potential, soon to be mine. And I will become greater than ever before. Die well, Gohan, knowing that you have finally contributed to a wonderful future."
"Enough!"
Mira flung his spare hand up to hold off the Burning Attack and with some effort, he dispelled it. He snarled in annoyance at Super Saiyan Trunks, who lowered his hands, rage all over his face.
"Put him down," Trunks demanded. "Now!"
"Oh dear Trunks. Always such a hero," Towa smirked from her perch on her staff. "Mira has already taken care of your poor friend; what makes you think you stand a chance?"
"Cocky all of a sudden, Towa? You think Mira stands a chance against me?"
He was going to get into so much trouble for this. The Supreme Kai had forbidden him from getting involved, but after seeing Tapion and Gohan get manhandled by Mira, Trunks couldn't help himself and before Chronoa could do anything, he had sent himself to this point in history.
"Trunks?" Gohan choked, unable to believe the sight before him. "Is that really you? What are you doing here? How did you become a Super Saiyan?"
Trunks noted 17 and 18 getting to their feet and that old familiar wave of hatred rose up inside him. Even though Lazuli was good now, seeing her evil version brought the fury out in him. He knew that this timeline was not his own: it was one of the other parallel timelines created when he first travelled back in time, a fourth timeline that connected to Cell's original timeline. As much, while he knew he couldn't break the law and change time, Trunks felt like he would be betraying his master if he left him here to die.
So many damn decisions to make and so little time, especially when Gohan's life was literally in Mira's hands.
"Huh, so you're here too, punk," 17 taunted when he saw Trunks. "You can change your hair colour as well. Awesome. One big party."
"After we take care of this intruder, let's kill them both," 18 suggested to her brother.
"Count on it."
"I will not tell you again," Trunks warned Mira. "Put Gohan down."
The Demon Android sniffed haughtily and carelessly tossed Gohan aside. The yelp of pain incensed Trunks further. "Fine. After I deal with you, then I can have Gohan all to myself."
Trunks shouted and he ascended straight into Super Saiyan 2, his aura flashing fiercely as the rain accentuated the bolts of electricity swimming around him.
"Trunks, you know you can't do this," Chronoa's voice rang in his ear. "If you do this, you'll be breaking the law and changing time. I cannot allow it."
"I know," Trunks said. "And I cannot stand aside and let this happen again. I cannot let Gohan die, not AGAIN!"
His power quaked the city and Mira sneered – until the sneer was punched right off his face. Snarling, he threw his own punch and caught Trunks on the jaw. A building crumbled from the half-Saiyan's body smashing through it and Mira gave chase – Trunks suddenly appeared before him, his hand splayed fully open before the Demon Android's face and he unleashed a powerful energy wave. Mira was sent rocketing back, his body tearing up the road and Towa gulped.
This was not looking good for her creation.
"18, are you seeing this?" 17 gasped in astonishment.
Shockwaves blasted through the heavy downpour as Mira and Trunks traded blows, until the former struck with an uppercut, prepared a large ball of purple and black energy and hurled it. Trunks flipped over and fired the Galick Gun in retaliation, the two energy waves cancelling each other out.
"This is impossible," 18 agreed. "How is he so strong? Why does he look older all of a sudden? What the hell is going on?"
Gohan painfully pulled himself into a better resting position, one that placed less stress on his agonised body and he watched in amazement as Trunks wielded power he had never seen before, holding his own against the powerful newcomer. It was astonishing to see and he realised that this Trunks had to be one from the future; regardless, it made him proud to see how strong his protégé was.
Towa frowned in apprehension as Mira and Trunks battered each other. She knew that Mira was currently stronger, but she also knew that Trunks was holding back. How much, she didn't know and she didn't like the feeling. Still, the annoying half-Saiyan did hold a great deal of energy and she knew she had to make it hers. Grabbing her staff, Towa aimed it at Trunks, waiting for the right moment when she would make him her slave.
Mira kicked Trunks and he implanted into the side of a building. Towa smirked, seeing her opportunity and she went to fire her spell – a sword ripped through the air and severed her staff in half. She shrieked and whirled around in fury to see the weakened Tapion on the ground below.
"You leave him the hell alone, you witch!" the Konatsian shouted.
Towa snarled and hurled a ki blast that normally would not have injured Tapion, but in his current state, he was blasted aside. Mira slugged Trunks in the jaw, deflected his fist and gut-shotted him, finally using his full strength. Trunks gasped and he threw a punch, but Mira grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground, constricting Trunks' breathing.
"I am the Ultimate Being; you cannot defeat me," Mira said calmly.
"Are you sure about that?" Trunks choked as he gripped Mira's forearm, focusing on the untapped power within himself, flaring his aura as he brought it to the surface.
"Trunks, no!" Chronoa cried. "You can't do this! If you go through with this, you'll irreversibly change time!"
He ignored her. He needed to stop Mira and he couldn't let Gohan die again. He refused to walk away and let fate play out one more time. He refused! Wrenching Mira's hand aside, Trunks booted him away and stood up, the entire city shaking and even the rain trembled as he ascended into his Super Saiyan 3 form. Gohan stared, mouth agape as his student transformed into a state of power he would never have dreamed of and even the Androids were scared of this power they witnessed.
"I'm sorry, Supreme Kai," Trunks said. "But I cannot walk away."
Mira sniffed and lunged – Trunks clocked him with a swift left hook. A second blow dropped Mira to his hands and knees and he wheezed, surprised at the immense power. Before he could even recover, Trunks kicked him straight into the sky, drew his sword and gave chase.
"This is impossible," Mira tried to comprehend as he dangled against the rainy background of the torrential sky. "I am the Ultimate Being. I am all-powerful. Did…did I miscalculate?"
His thoughts were literally cut short when Trunks ripped his sword upwards and sliced the Demon Android in half. Several slashes later, followed by an energy wave and Mira was no more.
"No!" Towa cried in fury and disbelief and an instant later, she disappeared from sight, narrowly avoiding the energy blast fired at her.
Trunks sheathed his sword and resumed his normal form, descending to the ground as Gohan stood on shaky legs. In an instant, the lavender-haired man was by his mentor's side, supporting him. Then, he caught sight of the Androids, neither of which looked sure on what they should do.
"If I were you guys, I'd suggest leaving," Trunks told them. "One chance and one chance only, so I'd take it. You obviously don't stand a chance against me, but if you're foolish enough to try it, I will destroy you."
17 was conflicted. He had been gearing himself up for killing Gohan and even looked forward to it. Now he was being denied that opportunity and he refused to be a coward, but Trunks was right; 17 knew he wouldn't last against the half-Saiyan and the fact that he was now the weaker of the two infuriated the Android.
"17, he has a point," 18 said, not wanting to appear cowardly in the face of her hated opponents, but not wishing to run the risk of getting killed, especially after the display she'd witnessed. "We should go. We can always come back another day."
"Fine," her brother spat towards the two half-Saiyans. "This isn't over! Enjoy your victory while you can because we will be back and you will be dead."
The twins shot off into the rainy night and Gohan sighed as he watched them go.
"You should have killed them," he said.
"It's…complicated," Trunks said. "Look, they're not entirely evil and can be made to see the error of their ways. It won't be easy and if they don't, well, destroy them."
"How? I can barely fight against one of them, even when I had two arms. What is going on here anyway? Are you from the future? Did Bulma finally succeed in making her machine? Did she send you?"
"Yes and no. Gohan, I…I can't stay here long. I've already done the wrong thing by being here and…saving your life. I've changed time and I shouldn't have, but I couldn't…I couldn't sit aside and watch you die again."
Gohan was silent for a moment. "So, I failed. I figured. The Androids were moments away from ending…the fight when that guy showed up. I knew it. But you're here now and you're a hell of a lot stronger than I thought possible."
"You can achieve it too, Gohan," Trunks said. "Hell, I've already changed time, so I might as well tell you. After you recover, head to the Lookout. You'll find the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Take the young me with you. For one whole day, you can get a year's worth of training. You'll get close to the power I have and it'll be more than enough to face the Androids. You can either destroy them or make them repent and you'll have the power to force their decision."
"Is that what you've done?" Gohan asked. "You let them live?"
"Not exactly. 17's dead, but 18 is still alive where I'm from. She even fights by my side."
"Huh. So how come she's not here with you?"
"Well, it's…complicated."
"I see," the son of Goku nodded sagely and the lavender-haired halfblood was thankful his mentor didn't press the issue. He didn't know how he would have to explain that. "Listen, you've changed time already and I imagine that from the sound of things, you shouldn't have and you're going to get into trouble, but is there anything about the future that I should know about?"
"Well, there's Cell and Majin Buu, oh and Broly."
Gohan grimaced. "Not him again."
"And if you let 17 live, you don't have to worry about Super 17," Trunks added.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"And perhaps you should pay a visit to Videl."
"You know about her? Guess I shouldn't keep it a secret from you any longer. That's another thing I'm going to add to my list. So, the Lookout, huh? If only I knew about that earlier."
Trunks smiled. "It's good to see you again, Gohan."
The son of Goku returned the smile, one that was full of hope for the first time and Trunks savoured the moment. "Good to see you too…brother."