A/N: Aaaand we're back! Thanks to lmamc (thank you!) and NNP (yes, the shame, that will be addressed this chapter!). I know we all want Bulma back, so I'm starting to wrap up Namek here. This is a hugely Trunks-heavy chapter!

Chapter 20:

Goku was looking for a challenge and it was safe to say that he had gotten one.

This alien outclassed him, that had been pretty obvious for a while. But Goku wasn't the type to give in, especially when his friends and his son was depending on him. Flecks of blood burst off of his face to the air below and he wheezed harshly, unable to hold back a short laugh.

He felt so alive.

"Stop laughing! I'm going to kill you!" his opponent snapped, before rushing him again. Goku was pummeled backwards in a haze of pain, but remained airborne. He just couldn't feel down, it had been a long time since there had been a question of winning—a fighter that he couldn't just take on!

"Sorry!" Goku said with what breath he had. "You're really fast!"

Burter stared, bug-like, red eyes somehow displaying annoyance. "I should have killed those midgets first! I'm done listening to you."

Goku scrambled to brace himself, thinking quickly about a counter-attack—anything that would stop this guy in his tracks!

And then a figure threw himself between them, taking the hit on his forearm and returning a kick that sent the alien back a few meters.

"Hey! T—Trunks?!"

The hair was immediately recognizable from the back, though he was taller and more firmly built than when Goku had last seen him. Bulma's son didn't turn around.

"You're hurt, Goku."

The Saiyan laughed at Trunks' clear exasperation. "Sound like your mom…" he coughed and tasted the metallic bite of blood. "This is my fight, kiddo."

"No," Trunks said. "It's whoever wins."

"You!"

Burter had clearly met Trunks before and attacked with a renewed viciousness. But Krillin and Gohan had also joined the fray and the alien was clearly outmanned, though Gohan was way too timid in his attacks.

Trunks wasn't.

Goku remembered Trunks' father, and Vegeta's son moved like him now—it was uncanny. Gohan would have moved like Goku if he didn't hesitate so much. He wanted to continue the fight, but watching the boys was fascinating to him… and the scene was wobbly enough in his vision to make him sick.

"Goku!" Krillin panted, after taking a hard hit to the side of the head that pushed him toward the Saiyan. "I think you're losing too much blood."

"Can you sense Nappa?" Trunks said, from somewhere nearby. "There's a Namekian kid named 'Dende'; he has healing powers! Meet up with him and he'll get you to Dende!"

"I'm not leaving," Goku said, feeling put-out, even with the ringing in his ears and the haze of his vision. "It's my fight, guys. Stay out of it!"

Somebody's ki was rising, and Trunks let out a frustrated cry. "We're not going to fight over a battle like it's a toy! I don't have time for this, my mother is DEAD!"

Goku had to admit that he understood the point Trunks was making, but then he blacked out.

VBVBVBVBVB

Trunks almost snapped his neck looking around at Goku as the Saiyan dropped from the sky like a zapped firefly. "Shit."

"Dad! Tr—!"

Burter had gotten past Gohan to deal Trunks a blow that rattled his brain. He was swatting Krillin and Gohan like flies in order to get at Trunks and the pale-haired boy was trying to push down his frustration.

He didn't know what he had expected… but he remembered Goku being just so—so larger than life …when he was a kid.

When his mother talked about Goku, even years later, she always got a sparkle in her eyes that drove his dad crazy. And Trunks remembered Gohan like this strong, older brother who was smart enough to answer his questions and kind enough to explain them in a way that Trunks could understand.

Now, in the space of one fight, everything looked different.

Goku kept falling and Krillin rushed underneath him, Gohan following.

"Screw this!" Trunks growled, turning on the cackling blue alien. He was over this, he was totally over relying on anyone else. With or without help, he'd get the job done. He'd take this jerk down and he'd do what he came to do.

"Hopefully, he'll die. And you'll be next," Burter told him. "I won't be underestimating you again."

"That's not going to help you," Trunks said. He cast one last look toward the ground before really beginning the fight.

VBVBVBVBVB

"Let's do what Trunks said," Gohan spoke frantically. "Get him to the Namekian boy who heals. We can sense for Nappa, he came with Trunks!"

Krillin's brow crinkled and he shifted Goku's weight. "That nasty bald guy? On it!"

It didn't take long to find the ki signature and they wasted no time in sailing through the pale, purple sky. It was almost the same shade as Trunks' hair. Gohan looked anxiously behind him as they dragged his father's body through the air as the most obvious thought in the world occurred to him. "Should …should one of us go back and help? Trunks is taking him on by himself."

He hadn't thought about it. When he saw his dad fall, he just instinctively went after him, and now he was realizing that it was a stupid tactical move. They just found Trunks, only to abandon him? Trunks' words rang in his ears.

I don't have time for this, my mother is DEAD!

Krillin nodded shortly, probably thinking along the same lines. "You go back with Trunks. I got this."

Gohan nodded, resigned to the order. Goku was still breathing, only unconscious. Krillin could handle it—he could talk the Namekian into healing his dad. Gohan zipped around and hurried back to the fray, having a short time to gather some of his racing thoughts. He was surprised at how much he had already observed about Trunks in the minutes they'd been together.

Trunks had clearly spent all the years they were apart training. It almost put Gohan to shame how much Trunks had bettered himself—if he were to have felt any sense of competition, which he didn't. But when Gohan thought about what life with Vegeta would be like, he had to admit that training was just about the only activity he had ever seen the prince devote his time to, besides eating.

He wished there was time to talk to Trunks—to understand what his life was like. And he could see them now, coming on them fast. They were flying lower than before. The blue alien had been focused on Trunks the whole time and this was his moment—they had all left him to it.

"So stupid!" Gohan cursed himself, determined to get there and take on his part of the burden. But Trunks was more than holding his own, looking more confident than he had when they were there before. There was something cold and cruel in the way that he fought, though Gohan couldn't have properly explained it if asked.

Trunks had finally risen to what Gohan had to believe was his full strength. Wind gusted up around him in a subtle glow.

"You're just not fast enough," Gohan heard Trunks tell the enraged alien casually. "That's never happened before, has it?"

"I don't understand," Burter rasped in frustration. "You weren't—"

"Don't flatter yourself," Trunks suggested, landing blow after blow, looking so calm that the motions seemed slow, but they weren't. Gohan's jaw was slack as he watched, halting his flight without intention. "Why should I honor you with my full power? Is that what a bully like you deserves?"

He sounded like …he sounded like Vegeta. Trunks laid a hammer blow and Burter cratered the dirt underneath them. Trunks floated downward until his feet touched grass, arms crossed in guard down in an insult to his opponent. Gohan wondered for a panicked minute whether Burter would ever come up again, but then a blue hand snatched painfully out of the hole and he crawled back into sight. He was laughing!

"What a change from the coward of before! Didn't you get sick, boy? Tell me, was that the first heart you ripped from a beating chest?"

Gohan felt nothing but horror, and still he could see Trunks quake at the remarks. Over his own beating heart, he heard Trunks respond without the same tremble in his words.

"Right, because you rip their hearts out of their backs as they run… Right?!" Trunks bellowed.

"That's the world we live in," Burter announced scathingly. "Kill me, brat. Go ahead. Kill me and kill everyone else that does the same thing, that fills my place—"

"Trunks!" Gohan mouthed behind him, mutely. He couldn't shout it. He couldn't move. What was going on? He suddenly wanted to be back home on his own planet, where people didn't do these things… Trunks was just a laughing, bold kid and none of this would have any place in their lives. Wasn't that the truth?

Then Trunks flickered …he flickered like a strike of lightning or a gasping candle, and all the energy around them sucked in to him and then released back out like it hadn't happened. Gohan blinked, unsure he had even seen it. If he had seen it, he didn't know what it was…

"You chose this," Trunks said, his voice softer now, but more decisive. "You chose this, when you killed them. I'm not going to let you kill anymore. I can't."

He stretched out his hand and a ki blast formed. Gohan's heart pounded in his ears because he had never used a lethal blast, but he knew what they looked like. Burter's red eyes widened. "No, WAI—"

A charred smear etched the grass and the blackened pieces fell back into the crater. Gohan fell to his knees at the same time that Trunks did.

Gohan heard a roar and he looked up to see Trunks raise his fists and pound into the ground and crack it around him like glass.

He sat there, behind Trunks, in numb shock until his heart started to calm. He didn't think about anything, for once. And when he stopped hearing the inward pounding, he started to hear the sobs.

"Trunks," Gohan said, and this time the words finally carried. But Trunks didn't turn to look at him, so he crawled hastily over to his friend. It hadn't happened much, but Trunks used to cry when he was angry or frustrated. It was something he could finally recognize in the younger boy and focus his attention on.

"Trunks." Gohan said with more strength. And then he stopped, because he didn't know what came after.

"I'm fine," Trunks choked out, his cheeks were wet and shining. "I—"

"I'm sorry," Gohan said, shaking his head.

"For what?" Trunks asked, sounding both clogged up and surprised by an apology.

"I left you here by yourself," Gohan slumped further. "I came here to help you and I just—I just left you here to do it by yourself! When I saw my dad and I wasn't thinking…"

"I get it," Trunks said, cutting him off harshly. Then Gohan remembered that Trunks more than knew, since Bulma was dead. Gohan cringed at the thought. Hesitantly, he turned his head and finally looked at the other half-Saiyan. His shoulders were shaking anew and fresh tears were falling, like he was unable to stop again. He had wanted to ask how Bulma died, thinking that it might help for Trunks to share it with someone, but the question died immediately on his lips.

What if it had been his mom? What if no one was there to hover over him and make him study? What if it had been just him and his dad?

"I'm so sorry," Gohan whispered. He felt suddenly mortified at the thoughts he had had before about Trunks killing the blue alien's friend. The judgement he had felt. He had no idea what was going on, it was obvious.

"Stop apologizing." Trunks wiped his nose. "None of this is your fault."

"Yeah, but you aren't alone, okay? I'm actually going to help," Gohan promised. He didn't care what he was signing up for, he just knew that he had to do better. He couldn't stand on the sidelines and watch anymore. Taking a deep breath, Trunks nodded and then he stood up, looking into the divot in front of them. He could probably see what was inside. Gohan didn't stand up.

"How …how did you get so strong?" It was a safe question, and one that could be important.

Trunks snorted. "Try living with my father and not get any stronger."

Gohan got to his feet. "Yeah, but you—" He wasn't sure how to articulate it. "You had an energy that I've never seen before."

Trunks blinked his blue eyes. "What do you mean?" It didn't sound like a real question, so Gohan wondered if he was hiding something. He was determined to bring it out anyway.

"Your ki was kind of—I don't know—too much. It was more than a power-up," Gohan explained witlessly. "You—you got this light."

When he said this, he thought Trunks was going to smile. But then he didn't, and he looked out into the dull, pastel distance. "Yeah, it almost did. I screwed it up…"

"You almost did what, though?" Gohan pressed, rubbing the back of his overly-thick hair in agitation. "Something happened—does anyone know about it?"

"Yeah," was all that Trunks offered.

"What is it?"

Trunks hedged again. "It's not reliable right now. It's happened before, and there was …I could keep the energy once. I think I know what I have to do to get it back. But I've decided that I'm not going to sweat it if I don't. I have things I have to do."

It was like they weren't even having the same conversation. "Get what back, Trunks?! What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about collecting the Dragonballs." Trunks looked down into the hole where Gohan resolutely refused to look. "I'm not going to kill another one of these guys, but I can't let them run around hurting more people. I promised Guru and I don't want to meet up with any more of them before I can carry out the plan."

"Who's Guru?"

Trunks glanced at him as if a thought occurred. "He's the Namekian leader, kind of. He knows a lot about things. I think I should take you guys to him after we finish this."

"Finish this?" Gohan tested the words.

"Mom is first priority," Trunks said. "Those guys are second. C'mon, we need to go make sure that Nappa isn't being a jerk and your dad is okay."

Trunks gave the other half-Saiyan no time to process his words, he already had taken to the air. Gohan quickly launched after him and Trunks wasted no time in throwing more intel at his friend, the words hitting him rapidly. Gohan was fighting to catch up.

"That guy we ran into? He's a part of the Ginyu Force, and they are super-powerful and work for Frieza sometimes. We first saw two of them at a village but we don't think they know about the Dragonballs…"

VBVBVBVBVBVBVB

When Goku opened his eyes again, two short, bald heads were swimming in his vision with looks of concern. One was green …and one was Krillin. Goku grimaced and chuckled.

"Hey there."

One of them—the green boy—sighed in relief, his stalked ears drooping relaxedly, and Krillin laughed outright. "Glad to have you back, buddy!" he cheered.

"What happened?" Goku said, trying to remember. The green boy had his hands pressed to his chest, so he didn't sit up, figuring that he was doing something important there.

A voice above them snorted. "Apparently, you got your ass kicked."

Goku semi-recognized the voice, and he remembered that Trunks had brought someone with him on his journey: Vegeta's sidekick from forever ago. "Trunks!" Goku did sit up now and Krillin put his hands up to push him back.

"It's fine! I think…" Krillin began nervously. "Gohan is with Trunks and they are taking on the blue dude together. Nappa here said—"

"—the King's son is more than a match for Burter," Nappa interrupted with smugness, probably repeating earlier words. "He's already killed his partner and he's getting stronger all the time."

"The King's son?" In his confusion, Goku hadn't heard beyond that.

"Trunks," Krillin supplied. "Trunks is …the King's son, I guess, because…"

"Because his father is the Saiyan King, moron," Nappa finished in a clipped voice.

"Last time I checked, Vegeta was calling himself the 'Prince of All Saiyans'," Goku recalled. He looked down at the green boy's glowing hands and finally made the connection to that and the strength that was returning to his body in a rush. It felt good, better than he had felt before even coming to Namek.

"Prince Vegeta killed his father, as is custom," Nappa said, with a little more patience now (or Goku could have been dreaming), "and took his place as the King of All Saiyans."

"Oh," was all Goku could think to say. He didn't really care about Saiyan customs, though killing your dad was pretty disgusting. He wished Vegeta hadn't done it, but maybe he'd get time to talk to Vegeta about that later. The boy pulled back his palms and Goku flexed experimentally. "I feel like a million! Thanks!"

"You're welcome," the boy responded, his voice high-pitched in a way that made Goku want to put him at ease.

"What's your name?"

"Dende."

"I'm Goku." He took Dende's hand and shook it. "I really appreciate your help! It feels like you even made me stronger than before!"

Nappa shook his head violently, marching forward. "It's clear that you remember nothing about your Saiyan physiology. Getting your ass beat makes you stronger!"

"Oh! That's right," Goku said brightly. "It's been a long time since I've thought about that! Nobody's really beaten me up like this in a while." He grinned up at Nappa. "So you're probably much stronger, right?"

Krillin anticipated Nappa's reaction to the joke and bravely jumped between them. "Hey, hey! Let's just chill out, okay? Shouldn't we be talking about what we're gonna do next?"

"We already have orders!" Nappa snapped, but was sufficiently distracted from attacking Goku. "We're waiting here until the brat returns!"

Goku felt a little surprise that the hulking Saiyan was willing to stay out of the action on Trunks' orders. Did being Vegeta's son put Trunks in charge of Nappa? It just went to show how different things were… On Earth, Trunks was Bulma's little boy—spoiled and headstrong and way too young to be put in charge of anything.

But then he sensed something that left those concerns aside. "We don't have to worry, the boys are heading toward us now." He got the impression that neither of them were injured, but maybe a little anxious.

Even Nappa lost some tension at the news. "Brat must have finished off Burter. With any luck, the rest of the Ginyu Force won't ever be able to tell Lord Frieza about this."

"What?!" Krillin squeaked. The Earthlings knew of Frieza by reputation and none of the information they knew was positive.

"Jeiyce recognized us as Saiyans right before the brat dispatched him. None too soon either, because he was about to notify his team about it and that would could easily send word to the Cold Empire."

"And then what?" Goku asked seriously. The confirmation that Trunks had killed one of them gave him a shot of unease, but he wanted to know what was at stake. When they revived Bulma, would she be trapped in the middle of all of this? She was his oldest friend, and it sounded like she could be in deep trouble, even once the dragon revived her.

"And then Frieza would do what the Cold Empire does!" Nappa shouted, his voice higher and pierced with fear. "Whole planets would be wiped out for opposing him!"

"You mean this planet?" Krillin said, while little Dende erupted in tremors at the question.

"Of course this planet! And Vegeta-sei, and even your mudball, once Frieza knew you were here. You people are so clueless!"

Okay, well that was really bad…

Krillin looked up and waved as the boys careened towards them, damp with sweat but otherwise looking no worse for wear. Dende came forward immediately. "Are you okay?"

"Sure," Trunks said. He glanced up toward Nappa. "He wasn't giving you a hard time, was he?"

Dende shook his head so quickly that Goku wondered if he was being truthful. "No, we were just meeting your friends!"

"Goku," Trunks looked up at him with an expression that Goku couldn't identify. "Glad you're feeling better…"

Goku stared at him—Bulma's son—cataloguing the changes in him without wondering at them. Then he stepped forward and placed a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder, because he was still a boy, even if he was fighting aliens and giving orders. "I feel better than ever," he told him assuredly. "What happened in that fight after I passed out?"

He kept his gaze steady, even when he saw the initial flash of defiance in Trunks' eyes—a glimmer that reminded him without warning of Vegeta. Goku held it a moment longer and Trunks shifted underneath his hand and set his jaw, but he didn't break the gaze.

"I won."

"You puke afterward?" Nappa asked with crassness, obviously feeling some impatience at the exchange between Goku and Trunks. "Pull any of his organs out?"

Trunks turned to Nappa, the defiance back in place. "No. But he won't be coming back for another round. So we need to get the rest of the Dragonballs, and we need to do it fast."

"That's what we're here for!" Goku pulled his own dragon radar out of his gi. Then, he looked around him. "Wait …so how does it work on this planet?"

"Good question," Krillin commented, not looking like he expected Goku to ask one.

"Yeah," Gohan agreed. "Trunks filled me in on some of this: we've got to avoid the aliens called the 'Ginyu Force', they're all wearing PTO armor and they're powerful."

"The two we fought were the weakest," Nappa said, pleased that he was the most knowledgeable on the current subject. "They only get worse from there, and the others might recognize me if we ran into them."

"Which would mean that Frieza would find out about us," Trunks finished. "But not if I get the Dragonballs first."

"I thought we were gonna make the wish for your mom?" Krillin said, before Goku could ask.

"We are," Gohan chimed in. Goku noticed that he kept looking at Nappa out of the corner of his eye. "But the Namekian Dragonballs grant three wishes…"

"Wow!" That was pretty nifty. "So you have a plan?"

"For two of the wishes," Trunks responded. "Maybe three…"

"Let's focus on retrieving them first," Gohan said, and Trunks nodded in agreement. They had clearly discussed this while they were returning.

"We only need two more. We need someone to stay back and guard the ones we have," Trunks said. "And if Nappa goes, we need somebody—or two somebodies from Earth to go with him, just in case he runs into the Ginyu Force."

"I'm not staying back again," Nappa said, refusing to be benched this time. "I have my pride."

"Not much…" Trunks muttered, and Nappa did nothing in response to the insult except grit his teeth. Well, that was something... "Whatever. Gohan and Krillin can guard the balls, then. Goku can go with Nappa and I'll go by myself with the other radar."

"I think you should be the one taking a break, kiddo," Goku said immediately. "Let someone else do the fighting. You can guard."

"I agree," Gohan said with uncharacteristic firmness. "We haven't done anything yet. And we know how to find Dragonballs just like you do."

Trunks stared, having not expected an argument. After a moment, he said, "I have to do this. She's my mom. If I don't—"

"We're here to fight for your mom," Goku cut in. "That's why I'm here."

"Me too."

"Me three."

Nappa rolled his eyes. "Not why I'm here…"

"Guarding is probably most important right now," Gohan said once he could see Trunks' mental struggle. Gohan was always ready with logic. "If we lose the five we have, we'll be worse off, by a lot."

"But can you handle—"

"I feel great!" Goku declared again. "I'm not gonna lose another fight, guarantee it!" Though, now that Trunks had mentioned it …how much stronger had he gotten, to have killed a guy that beat up Goku? He would have probed about it, but he figured that there was no way Trunks was going to agree to an interrogation about his strength until they knew Bulma was revived.

Trunks eyed Goku speculatively and Goku did his best to instill confidence in the boy by just, you know, standing there... It must have worked, because Trunks nodded reluctantly.

"Look, if someone gets caught, just one of you grab the ball and get back here and the other stick around to distract them. If it comes down to a fight, we need all the Dragonballs as fast as possible so that we can make the wishes. My second wish will get rid of the Ginyu Force, so hopefully you won't have to fight long."

"That makes sense," Gohan said, but Goku was his father and he could tell that Gohan was a little nervous. This was a serious situation. "How are we pairing up?"

"I'll go with him," Goku nodded at Nappa. "And if we see any of those guys, I'll take the fight."

For some reason, Goku had a sense that Nappa was going to be where the action was, and he didn't want to miss out. Gohan and Krillin were more than fine working together, so they each picked a point and set out.

Nappa wasn't the talkative type and he didn't seem to like Goku or anybody else much, not even Trunks. But he sure was interested in following his orders!

Goku sensed a heightened power level when they were almost upon the location of the Dragonball. He didn't slow down, but flew closer to Nappa. "Go get the Dragonball and bring it back to Trunks, I'll handle this."

Nappa grunted, and picked up speed as Goku veered toward the ki signature. His blood was pumping excitedly, ready to redeem the previous fight. Ready for the challenge that was brought by a life or death struggle.

VBVBVBVBVBVBVB

After the rest had speedily taken off, Trunks sat with his eyes closed, surrounded by Dragonballs. He could feel Dende's gaze as he tried to fall into meditation. It was something practiced very little by Saiyans, but Trunks had begun to see the point of it. He needed to stay calm, to wait, to hope.

He needed to recapture that flicker.

But no, he didn't want to be desperate for it. He knew, he would need it. It was as simple as that: he already had it in him and he needed it.

He also needed his mom.

He needed power to save. He needed to depend on himself and no one else. But he needed his friends? He wanted his friends. He didn't want to be the most powerful, but he was. He needed that power to succeed when he had failed.

Who was he kidding? He needed those Dragonballs, and that was the insistent beat in his head. He couldn't think of the future, of anything else, until they had been used. His eyes slowly opened and he watched the sky, he sensed out for his friends and he waited the unbearable stretch of time.

A/N: To avoid any complaints about power levels, understand that it's been a bit easy on Earth for a while, and Goku/Gohan/the Earth set have not had a challenge in a while. Because of that, Trunks is much stronger. He's grown up fighting and he has already accessed Super Saiyan. This doesn't mean that these other characters aren't still going to improve by the leaps and bounds they did in canon. They just need the right environment and a proper challenge, Goku and Gohan especially. Let me know what you thought!