A/N: I want to apologise for taking so long to update. Laziness and writer's block are a terrible combination. But I also want to say thank you for over 100 reviews and followers. It means a lot, thank you for sticking through and sorry again for making you all wait for so long. Hopefully, this makes up for it.
"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING? DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME? I SAID NO OR YOU'LL CHANGE TIME AND WHAT DID YOU DO? YOU CHANGED TIME!"
Trunks flinched under Chronoa's fury. He knew that defying her would not end well for him and he was right, getting chewed out as soon as he returned. But he could not stand aside and let Gohan die again, this time in front of his eyes. Whatever punishment the Supreme Kai had in store for him, he would gladly take it. He did not regret his decision.
Beside him, Tapion winced in sympathy as Trunks was eviscerated by the Supreme Kai. In a way, he felt partly to blame because if he'd been strong enough to deal with Mira, Trunks wouldn't have had to step in. At the same time, the Konatsian sympathised with the half-Saiyan and could understand his decision; it may not have been the wisest decision according to Chronoa, but he understood.
"FOOLISH! ABSOLUTELY FOOLISH! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER! I SHOULD-" Chronoa paused in her rage and sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Trunks wasn't looking forward for the continuation. "Now…I have to erase the timeline."
"So do it," he said solemnly. "I stand by my decision and I'd do it again."
"You Saiyans are so pig-headed! Do you not understand that you cannot mess with history like that?" Chronoa demanded. "That's the very reason why you're here, working for me, to protect history from being altered!"
"You're the Supreme Kai of Time who can erase timelines; what do you need me for?" Trunks fired at her, his heart hammering in his chest as a voice in the back of his mind told him to stop arguing with a Supreme Kai. But he refused to be made subservient because he felt that he did the right thing.
"You broke the law in the first place, remember?" Chronoa started. "Therefore-"
"I was trying to do the right thing! You have no idea what my life was like growing up! You're a Supreme Kai; you get to sit here all nice and safe while I struggled to survive, day in and day out!" Trunks shouted, his emotions finally taking hold. "I lost everyone! So yeah, we built a time machine because when you're desperate to survive and make the world a better place, you'll do anything! And Gohan? He deserved better! I'm looking after his daughter and it breaks my heart every single time she wishes she could meet her father. At least in this new timeline, she gets to do that. I had to travel back in time to meet mine; she can't. Not like you Kais would understand!"
Tapion's jaw dropped at the outburst and he looked at the Supreme Kai to see her reaction, fearing for Trunks' safety. Sure enough, Chronoa did not look pleased.
"Go home, Trunks," she said in a deceptively calm voice. "You've created a mess that I now have to fix and you're not helping, so go home."
A flash of light enveloped Trunks and he was gone. The Supreme Kai heaved out a heavy sigh and she finally caught sight of Tapion and looked surprised, as if she'd forgotten he was there. Tapion gave her a nervous wave, unsure of what he was supposed to do in her furious presence. Without a word, Chronoa approached him and placed a hand over his chest, using her magic to heal his wounds and restore him to full health.
"Thank you, Supreme Kai." He hesitated. "May I ask? Do you really intent to erase the changed timeline?"
"I have to," Chronoa replied. "Trunks has upset the balance; it's a very serious thing he's done and I cannot let it slide. It goes against my position as Supreme Kai of Time."
"I know I'm speaking above my place-"
"Don't be like that, Tapion. I don't see you as lesser beings just because I'm a Kai. That's something I'd leave to Demigra."
"Very well. I was going to suggest to actually let it slide."
Chronoa frowned. "Why? Do you not understand the implications?"
"I'm aware. But this happened in an inconsequential timeline, so it doesn't matter if it's changed. Nothing else in history has been altered. Why not see how it goes?"
"It could end badly and I can't allow it."
"It might not. And even if it does, you could erase it then," Tapion suggested. "I know how much Gohan means to Trunks; let him have it. I'm sure he feels bad about it, but he is a good person and he'll find a way to make it up to you."
Chronoa planted her hands on her hips. "He's already changed time once before and I left it; why should I do it again?"
"I get that, I do, Supreme Kai. It defies what we're supposed to be doing. But I feel strongly about, I really do. I'm not saying you should, just…giving you a suggestion. Just this once."
It was preposterous what Tapion suggested and she was tempted to reprimand him for even suggesting it in the first place. It went against everything her role stood for and even allowing a change in history to remain…the consequences could be dire. And wasn't her position as Supreme Kai of Time meant to prevent alterations in history? That's why she stepped in when Trunks changed time for the first time, right? "I'll think about it. In the meantime, can you watch the Scrolls in case Towa shows up again? She might retreat, but let's not get too complacent about it."
"Of course," Tapion said with a respectful bow and he left for the Time Vault.
-X-
"Thank you for taking me shopping," Pan said. "You didn't have to."
"It's fine," Lazuli replied. "I just needed someone to help carry this stuff home."
"Oh."
The Android gave the child a small, fond smile as she opened the front door with one hand, the other stacked with numerous large boxes of baby equipment. Pan followed her, a similar pile of boxes in her tiny arms that greatly outsized her small frame, but she never lost balance as she followed the Android inside – only to bump into the blonde woman and have to comically bounce around in order to prevent a single box from falling.
"Trunks?" Lazuli questioned in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He looked up and the look of despair and anxiety on his face was enough for her to literally drop everything and move to his side, a comforting hand on his forearm. "What's wrong?"
"I'm going to take these upstairs," Pan offered and no-one answered as she hurried upstairs with the packages.
"I….I disobeyed the Supreme Kai," Trunks stuttered, trying to work through his angst and he didn't look at her as he spoke, keeping his head down. "I changed time."
Lazuli sucked in a quick breath, shocked by the admission. "What do you mean, you changed time? Which time? How?" He finally looked at her then, his eyes red-rimmed and slowly, it dawned on her. "It involved me, right? Is this about Gohan?"
He gave her a slight movement of his head, confirming it for her. "Mira tried to attack Gohan, wanting his power. I wasn't supposed to be there, but…Tapion couldn't do it and I had no choice. I destroyed Mira and I stopped you and 17 from killing Gohan."
Lazuli slowly closed her eyes, her memory replaying that night. For months afterwards, she had relished killing Gohan, a sense of achievement, but nowadays, she wished she could change back time and give Gohan to Trunks and Pan. But now Trunks had done exactly that, only he was grimly upset instead of being elated like she thought he would be. A horrifying thought crossed her mind and she hesitated before voicing it.
"Did you – did you kill me?" she tentatively asked.
"No, no I didn't," Trunks replied. "I gave you and your brother the option to fight another day and surprisingly, you both took it."
"So how does that save Gohan?"
"I told him about the Time Chamber. It's all for nothing now; Chronoa was severely upset and stated that she was going to erase that particular timeline."
Her heart seized. "Would that mean erasing us?"
He shook her head. "No, we'll be unaffected…but I saved Gohan. I've given him another chance to keep fighting and perhaps change his destiny once again, but if she destroys it…it'll mean nothing."
"What will you do then?" Lazuli asked. "Would you quit working for her?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not. I owe her for changing time in the first place and she is a Supreme Kai; can't exactly say no."
"Keep in mind that she doesn't rule you. I don't care who she is or what she can do: she doesn't rule you. Yes, pay your debt if you must, but don't let her control you, Trunks."
"I'll try to keep that in mind the next time I see her…if there's even a next time," Trunks muttered. "Gosh, I feel like a failure, but…it was Gohan. I couldn't sit back and let it happen again."
Lazuli couldn't help but feel the cold mask fall into place. They hadn't really spoken too much about Gohan's death, but as Trunks got carried away, a small part of her felt that he was blaming her for the incident, which was true, she was responsible, but they were a couple now, with a child on the way…could he not?
"I guess it would be redundant of me to say I'm sorry?" Lazuli brought up.
Trunks stopped short, took one look at her standoffish posture and realised what he'd done. "I'm sorry, Lazuli, I didn't mean it like that. I just – I saw an opportunity."
"Did it make you feel better that you got to save Gohan from the evil Androids?"
He looked at her. "I didn't mean it like that – look, do you not understand the trauma I went through after that night?"
"Do you think that I wouldn't give anything to change that night as well? To change everything?" Lazuli retaliated. "To not be that murderous psychopath at all?"
He sighed. "We all have regrets." He reached out to her and she watched his hand for a moment, making a decision and he became worried that she would turn him down, but in the end, she softened, took his hand and he pulled her close, burying his nose into her hair and breathing in her sweet scent.
"I don't want to ever be her again," she whispered.
"You aren't and you never will be," he reassured her.
They stayed together like that, her in his embrace, until he finally looked past her and spotted the pile of boxes on the floor.
"What are those?" he asked.
"Ah," Lazuli said in a light tone as she broke from his touch. "Well, we don't have anything for the baby yet and surprisingly, your mother hasn't gone a shopping spree, so I did. Here, let me show you." She took his hand and guided him to the pile. "Obviously, I got a crib, a change table, which you will be learning how to use, and all the necessities we'll need."
Trunks couldn't help the smile that came to him as he watched her flit between the shopping, the dark cloud slowly lifting from his mind.
"Wow. You really went all out, didn't you?" he stated fondly.
"Well, this is going to become our lives soon," Lazuli said. "I just wanted to be prepared as best as I can. I have no idea how to do it, so hopefully this can help."
"You've done a wonderful job," Trunks said. "I think we'll be fine. We'll manage."
Lazuli looked pensive for a moment. "This is a monumental change to our lives and I don't want to mess it up; I'm worried I will, somehow, because how can a former mass murderer be a good mother?"
"We work through it together, that's how. I only knew my father for two weeks tops and I know that's not the same as you, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried about screwing this up."
The corner of her lips twitched slightly. "I guess we're both screw-ups, one way or another."
A tiny shrug of his shoulders in agreement. "It's in the past. Let's focus on the future."
"Oh, look," Lazuli cried, picking up a tiny onesie outfit, white with hearts patterned all over it and Trunks was grateful for the distraction that she no doubt intended for. "Isn't this cute?"
-X-
The Scroll showed all.
Chronoa stood with a fist under her chin in a thoughtful pose as she watched the scene of the altered timeline play out, contemplating her decision.
Gohan grinned happily as he sat at Bulma's dinner table, telling her about his narrow escape from the Androids and the chance he now had to grow even stronger than before while a raptured Trunks listened, impressed with the heroics of his future self.
She didn't owe Trunks anything. She had no reason to keep this new timeline intact and while she could peer into the future to see how it turned out, Chronoa didn't like doing that, even though it was well within her right. Her job was to preserve the flow of history and until Trunks travelled back in time and changed it the first time, it had been an easy job, despite the fact she didn't do anything when it was altered. She recognised that Trunks was simply trying to do the right thing and she allowed it while pushing the lie that he had to serve her in penance. In truth, she was lonely and wished for a companion other than Tokitoki, but her role restricted her to the Time Nest and it was only when Towa and Mira tried to cash in on the long-term aftermath of Trunks' actions. Now with this new mess she had to deal with, Chronoa feared Demigra's return. Even if she erased the changed history, the energy it created couldn't be reversed.
Chronoa sighed as she wrestled with her decision and she reached out to the Scroll, as if that could help and just as she decided to erase it, the Scroll started to glow with malicious purple energy.
"Tapion!" she called and the swordsman swiftly appeared by her side. "We have a situation."
"What is it?" he asked.
She peered into the Scroll. It leapt into the future and showed Super Saiyan 2 Gohan and Super Saiyan Trunks facing off against Babidi and Dabura. Looking deeper, she could see Towa, sans staff and a rebuilt Mira – no, that was a duplicate. Did the witch have clones of her servant?
"She is relentless," Chronoa said. "I'm going to need you to intervene again. Think you can do it?"
"I will do my best," Tapion replied. "I'll put an end to Towa for good."
-X-
Sunlight filtered into the room and slowly roused Trunks from his sleep. Lifting an arm from Lazuli's hip, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rolled away from the Android's back, his mind instantly consumed by his disobedience, immediately plunging him into a state of despondency. He shouldn't have altered time like he did, he knew that and it was why he had to work for Chronoa to make up for doing it in the first place, but he could not leave Gohan to his fate. Not again.
He felt he had made the right choice, but Chronoa's fury and the fact he had willingly disobeyed her, his emotions getting in the way, bore down on him and he sighed heavily, wondering what the Supreme Kai had done to fix his screw-up. Suddenly tired again, Trunks instead decided to focus on the energy of his unborn child, hoping to cheer himself up. He still couldn't believe that it was actually happening, that he was going to be a father and the fear of failing the child, combined with his previous thoughts on Gohan, did nothing to lift his spirits.
With yet another heavy sigh, Trunks moved to the edge of the bed and proceeded to get dressed, wondering what he should do. Should he return to Chronoa and plead his case, grovel for her mercy? He had no clue on how to correct this situation, but he knew he had to do something at least.
"Can you stop fretting?" came Lazuli's voice and he looked over his shoulder at her. "I can practically hear your bad thoughts. It's radiating off you."
"Sorry," Trunks murmured as he rose from the bed. "Just…a lot of things on my mind right now."
"Just go talk to her," Lazuli suggested. "I'm sure you can come to some kind of agreement. If not, tell her to get lost. It's not like she's stronger than you…is she?"
Thinking back to Shin, the half-Saiyan gave a small shrug. "I don't know. Probably not. But she can erase timelines like it's nothing, I think, so I don't want to give her any incentive to undo everything I've done completely."
"As long as we're safe."
"I think so. Maybe you're right. I'll talk to her."
Lazuli gave a small smile. "I'm always right."
He cocked an eyebrow at that. "Really?"
"Yep," she said confidently and slowly rose from the bed while stretching her arms.
She hunted in the wardrobe for her clothes (Trunks had to wonder when exactly did she move into his room?) and for a moment, he found the scenario of them getting dressed for the day to be oddly domestic – until both their senses went haywire, detecting a familiar energy signature at a familiar location.
"That's Demigra," Trunks said. "He's trying to escape again."
"I'll come – oh wait, no I can't," Lazuli said as she stepped back and looked down at her stomach. "I'm an invalid."
"Hey, come on now, no you're not," Trunks said, needing to get to the Crack, but also wanting to reassure her.
"I'm not? Can I fight? Can I help in any way that doesn't bring any risk to the baby? No and no. And it's all your fault."
Trunks was puzzled. "Uh…what? Can we discuss this after I deal with Demigra?"
Lazuli sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go."
-X-
The Crack widened, fuelled by the power gained from the change in history. Ocarin channelled his power, further weakening the barrier. On the other side within the Crack, Demigra smiled to himself, eagerly awaiting his release. His plan had finally paid off and soon, he would get his revenge on Chronoa and claim her position as his rightful own.
A Finish Buster slammed into Ocarin and disrupted his work, although the corrupted Namekian was unfazed by the attack. He turned around with a snarl, as an illusion of Demigra appeared beside him.
"Ah, Trunks, welcome. I thought you might want to witness my return; after all, it's thanks to you that this is possible," Demigra smirked. "Of course, my goal would have been realised in due time, but you certainly helped speed things along when you changed time."
"Towa and Mira were your lackeys?" Trunks asked.
"Oh no. They may be of my brethren, but I had nothing to do with them. Similar objectives, yes, but different endgames; I'm sure Towa didn't even know she was helping to contribute to my escape."
"Well, that doesn't matter anymore," Trunks growled. "Your plan ends here."
Demigra smirked widely. "You and who else?"
The illusion was suddenly hammered from behind with the Infinity Bullet, covering him in a cloud of dust from the heavy ordnance and Trunks ascended straight to Super Saiyan 2 and charged at Ocarin and swung his fist – the Namekian caught it and snarled. The return punch knocked Trunks across the sky and Ocarin roared as he powered up, his eyes flashing bright red as a purple and black aura of corruption surrounded him and he chased after Trunks.
The dust cleared and Demigra sniffed dismissively as he faced Lazuli. "Lazuli. We meet again. I am somewhat disappointed that you have chosen to oppose me."
"Seriously?" Lazuli said dubiously. "What made you think I would join you?"
"Because I gave you life. I gave you a second chance," he peered closely at her. "I see you have used your chance…quite well. There is life growing inside you, Android."
"Tell me something new."
"I wonder…what kind of power would this child have? Perhaps it could be of use to me."
"Like hell that's going to happen!" Lazuli snarled and she fired a Photon Flash. It blasted a hole through the illusion, but Demigra smirked and reformed himself.
"Anything else?"
The ocean churned ferociously when Ocarin slammed Trunks into the side of the cliff, holding him by the throat. The half-Saiyan tried to push back, but the Namekian held him in place with ease.
"Ocarin, snap out of it!" Trunks cried. "I don't want to have to fight you. Snap. Out. Of. It!"
Ocarin snarled and powered up, pressing Trunks against the cliff, which began to splinter and crack. A crater formed beneath Trunks' body and with a simple exertion of power, he drove Trunks through the cliff and burst up from the ground, tossing him away and firing several energy blasts. Trunks weaved through the blasts and Ocarin slammed him in the jaw with his fist. Wincing, the half-Saiyan threw punches in return, trying to hold back from hurting his friend too much, but Ocarin easily deflected the strikes and hammered his own against Trunks' body, a powerful snap kick driving Trunks into the ground.
"Dammit," the half-breed though despairingly. "Looks like I have no choice."
Demigra fired his Bloody Sauce and Lazuli threw up an energy barrier around herself, gritting her teeth against the impact. He fired blast after blast after blast, slowly cracking the barrier and with a final energy blast, he shattered the sphere. Lazuli immediately went on the offensive, launching her Infinity Bullet move, her protective instinct kicking in. she knew it was foolish of her to even come out and enter the fight, putting the baby at risk, but she couldn't sit at home and simply wait. This was Demigra, the being who gave her life and tried to use her for his own purposes. In her mind, that put him in the same rank as Gero and she was tired of being used.
So very tired.
Taking a leaf from her Super form's book, Lazuli formed an energy disc and hurled it – Demigra tried to deflect it with his staff, but it sliced straight through it and he narrowly inclined his head away in time – a rip appeared in his cheek. Noticing this, Demigra unleashed volley after volley of Bloody Sauces, exploding them around Lazuli as she tried to dodge and an explosion struck her, knocking her from the air. Grinning, Demigra prepared to finish her off – and was suddenly restrained by Psycho Threads. He growled and looked over his shoulder, as Lazuli caught herself and saw Zangya.
"You looked like you needed some help," the Hera smirked at the look on the Android's face. "Weren't expecting to see me?"
"To be honest? You're the last person I expected to see," Lazuli said as she narrowed her eyes. "What are you playing at, Zangya?"
"I can't lend a hand?"
The illusion of Demigra disappeared, escaping from the Psycho Threads and reappeared behind the Hera, striking her with a swift backhand. The entire area shook and the ocean violently slapped the cliff as Trunks powered up to Super Saiyan 3. Ocarin grinned sadistically and flew at Trunks, their fists smashing together. The sky exploded with their power as they traded blows, equal in strength, much to Trunks' disbelief and Demigra smirked. Lazuli unleashed a barrage of energy blasts at the illusion, as Zangya transformed into her Super state and charged at Demigra.
"My, my, you have some power in you," the Demon Wizard commented as he dodged the Hera's strikes. "Perhaps you should give that to me."
"Kamehameha!"
Demigra scarcely avoided the infamous move and he smirked at Super Saiyan Pan, 16 by her side. "Well, the reinforcements have arrived. No matter. You can't stop what is about to happen. The reckoning is at hand and my time has come. Soon, you will bear witness to my glorious power."
He vanished, but his cackling laughter was heard by everyone. Meanwhile, Ocarin swiped Trunks' punch aside and hit him in the gut, splayed his hand and fired an energy blast at point-blank. The Namekian dodged the incoming 16 and kicked him aside, but was ensnared by Zangya's Psycho Threads.
"Fight him, Ocarin, not us," Trunks called. "Fight him!"
Ocarin roared and with a burst of his corrupted power, he snapped the Threads and struck Zangya with the Bloody Sauce. Lazuli hung back and threw her Power Blitz – Ocarin dodged and charged at her, knocking Pan and Zangya aside. Just as he grabbed the Android by the throat, Trunks barrelled into the Namekian, smashing him away from Lazuli and blasted the Galick Gun at him.
"Laz, get out of here," the half-Saiyan cried. "He's too powerful."
"Can you handle him?" Lazuli questioned as Ocarin charged into the fray and Trunks moved to intercept him – Ocarin pulled up and unleashed the Break Cannon.
Reacting purely on instinct, Trunks fired the Galick Gun, but without the time to gather enough power for it, the Galick Gun was swallowed by the Break Cannon and Trunks shouted as he was blasted across the sky. It was taking all of his strength to combat the possessed Namekian and every second the fight dragged on, the more energy his Super Saiyan 3 form consumed and the less time Trunks had to stop Demigra's madness. He had to stop Ocarin, but with them both at equal strength, it was difficult for the half-Saiyan to gain the advantage.
"Lazuli, you need to leave," 16 said. "You cannot assist us in this battle."
"I know," Lazuli said as she witnessed Pan receive a kick to the jaw. "But I – I can't. You need my help."
"The baby-"
"Don't worry about me. Worry about Ocarin. Contain him. Wear him down."
16 nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue with Lazuli and he flew into the battle. Lazuli stayed at the edge, watching Ocarin hold his own against everyone and when he grabbed Trunks by the throat and prepared a ki ball in his other hand, she made her move. Ocarin howled when the razor-sharp energy disc severed his arm, purple blood spraying the air and Trunks blasted him with a Double Buster. The Namekian tumbled through the air and crash-landed on the beach, a purple river pumping from his arm to the ocean. Trunks landed beside Ocarin, watching as the corrupted energy faded from the Namekian and cautiously, he approached the prone body. However, unable to further maintain the Super Saiyan 3 form, he wearily dropped back into his normal form, as Pan and 16 joined him.
"Is he okay?" the young girl asked, looking squeamish at the river of blood.
"Ocarin, wake up," Trunks knelt beside his friend. "Come on, I need to know if you're okay."
The Namekian groaned and opened his normal eyes, hissing in pain at the loss of his arm and the half-Saiyan breathed a sigh of relief, allowing Pan to resume her regular state. He was glad the fight was over now, because he had worried what would happen if the fight dragged on longer than he could hold his ultimate form and already, he could feel his body dealing with the aftermath of the massive power output. 16 gently sat Ocarin up, mindful of the grievous injury.
"Thank you…" Ocarin breathed heavily. "That was…a terrible experience."
"Anytime," Trunks smiled. "Glad you're back with us."
"Well, this has been fun, but I think I've overstayed my welcome," Zangya commented dryly and she swiftly flew away.
"What was she doing here?" Ocarin asked, watching the Hera disappear into the horizon.
Trunks shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, but she helped us. Maybe she's not so bad after all."
"Maybe. Listen, about Demigra-"
He never got the chance to finish. Residing in his prison, Demigra laughed as he saw his opportunity and seized it. Trunks screamed and he bellowed as he clutched his head as his mind was assaulted and with whatever energy he had remaining, he transformed into a Super Saiyan, trying to fight off the mental assault. Lazuli watched in horror as corrupted energy surrounded Trunks and in an explosion of power, his mind was lost to Demigra's magic, his eyes blazing red and black lines appeared under his eyes. Trunks grinned sadistically and with one hand, he unleashed an energy blast that levelled the area.