CW for (manga) canon typical gore I guess?
A minute later, Trunks was sitting at a dinner table in an apartment, a good ten floors above the shop, and the shopkeeper was serving her coffee. She refused the offer of sugar and milk. The living/dining room's walls were covered with band posters and photos of a whole lot of different people, there were music instruments just about everywhere, the open kitchen was simple but efficient and well kept, and the other end of the table had school books and writing material. The shopkeeper had sent his daughter to the shop while he took care of Trunks, and the brown-haired teenager whose path they crossed left her homework right in the open. The TV was on, but muted, on a news channel.
"That baby looks a whole lot like you, is it your child?"
Trunks had unclipped her sword and let it rest on the back of the chair, but her alternate self didn't let go of her, so he sat on her lap and stared through the man that had invited them both into his home. The question broke her mind suddenly, but she understood where it came from.
"He- no. I guess he is my brother. It's-" she sighed and shook her head. "It's complicated."
"You got to tell me what you used for your hair, too, two days ago it was this short, and now.." The man said, running a hand on his slowly but clearly balding reddish-brown hair.
"Right, it's been two days.." Trunks took a moment to look out of the large windows of the living room, which offered a beautiful view over Central City, with its skyscrapers bathed in the red-orange colors of sunset.
Central City was targeted by the Cyborgs multiple times in her world because of how big the city actually was. She recognized a particular building, the one with the broadcast antenna, from photos and stories, the building where most shows were filmed and broadcasted, where interviews were conducted, where the King held his address sometimes. The version she knew had few tall buildings left, and the residential areas were wiped out over the course of several years. Central inhabitants never retreated, they buried their dead and rebuilt more often than anyone else, out of sheer spite. That was, until the Cyborgs decided to fully end that last bastion of 'civilization', when she was thirteen. The night Gohan died.
"Name's Mika," he sat at the table on the opposite side, nursing his own coffee. Trunks took a moment to spare a proper look at the man. Mika looked in his forties, was a little taller than her, had unkept facial hair, light brown eyes, short (and balding) reddish-brown curly hair, a deep pleasant voice, and a soft vibe. His relaxed linen shirt and pants made Trunks realize that she tended to wear warmer clothes than most. She just enjoyed warmer temperatures that much, and this world was actually colder than hers. She was about to reply but the baby answered in her stead.
"To'a!"
"To-ra," she corrected with a little chuckle, giving the chubby cheek a little poke with her index. "I use the tiger symbol," she added.
"You're welcome to stay here if you need a place to cool off. Or do you need more permanent shelter?"
Shit, I am a runaway after all. Trunks drank from her coffee, and shook her head a little. "No, I need to bring this little grabby-hands back to his mother. I guess- I guess I needed some time out, I'm sorry."
'His mother, not 'our' mother', 'I guess he's my brother'… Mika had seen all sorts of issues with teenagers on the run, especially ones that binded, and his heart sank every single time he encountered a situation, which is why he recognized this teenager as being somewhat in distress and easily opened his home. As he'd done countless times before, and would keep doing for as long as he could.
"Don't be sorry, you should be allowed to feel safe, you came to the right place. Tora-san, do you want to talk about it? You say it's complicated, but it's ok, I'll believe you." A quick glance over all of the photos on his walls warmed his heart, it was what was right.
Trunks hesitated. Her mind went back to how Gohan worked through her feelings by inciting her to talk, bounce ideas off of him. Both Gohans, actually. She slowly nodded against her will and a box of tissues appeared in her field of vision. She didn't take them, keeping her tears just in her mind.
"I-. I was rude to you when we first met. I'm sorry. It's just that- I am a girl. But Trunks here is a boy. It's one of the reasons I wear binders. And I fought with his father. Our father," she bitterly added.
The baby, recognizing his name, cooed and looked at his older self, and she ruffled his little beanie with a smile. Mika tilted his head a little to the side, the reasoning 'the baby is a boy this is why I bind' was a little strange, but there was surely more to it and he'd seen weirder shortcuts to someone's issues.
"Kami I fu- messed everything up."
She let out the last few words in a sole breath, her demeanor sinking to doubt and loneliness, despite the baby's best attempt at getting her attention with a pout and tugs. She couldn't take off to her world with the baby and just call it quits, could she? Her mother would be furious. But she'd understand, once she'd heard of Vegeta's betrayal.. Was this world doomed? Perhaps she could save him. Only knowing Gohan and Goku were still in the Room of Spirit and Time kept her from actually considering fleeing as an option. She promised Gohan, after all, and she told Yamcha she wouldn't let anyone die. And yet, the option sounded more and more appealing… However, a sudden flash of light and green caught her attention, on the TV screen.
"Cell!" She hissed. Mika turned around and looked at the screen as well, and quickly grabbed the remote to put the sound on, the explosion on TV and the sudden broadcast definitely getting his attention.
"- to tell you your lives will be filled with more thrills and excitement. My name is Cell. I think you all know how a few days ago, a monster made many of your loved ones disappear. That was me. Their sacrifice to help me achieve perfection will not be forgotten."
As Cell explained, Trunks stared at the TV, then back outside. Her pupils were gone, the ice blue chilling with determination. The TV broadcast tower. Cell was there. Her blood was on fire, and the baby slowly released her and made an effort to slide down. Trunks helped him on the floor without breaking eye contact with the image of her enemy.
"- don't need to worry, I don't need any more energy. On May 31st, I will host a martial arts competition, the Cell Games."
Cell gave the location of the arena he'd begun building and explained how it would be a different type of Tenkaichi Budokai, with him being the only opponent, inviting all men who wanted to come and test their strength, but that death was on the table, and how if no more fighters came after he'd defeat them all, he would enjoy the fear and despair on everyone's faces as he would go and kill every living person on the planet.
"That sick monster!" Mika frowned, tense, and clearly worried, but a sound took his eyes off the TV. Trunks was putting her sword back on her back and walking with determination towards the balcony. "Hey hey- don't!" Mika called, believing she was doing something entirely different.
Trunks opened the door, stepped outside, but as she was about to tell Mika where to bring the baby back, a ki spike caught her attention, coming from the broadcast building. Mika looked back at the TV and screamed in horror as Cell broke through the wall with another explosion.
The teenager cursed, her aura flared and she flew towards the energy she felt, rushing to meet the incoming blast clearly meant to destroy the city, including the building she had been in. The blast vaporized everything near the broadcast tower and was on its way towards her location.
Suddenly the Sun was brought back into the neighborhood with the golden flames surrounding her, fueled by her absolute refusal to let anyone else die, especially not this world's version of her (and how both Bulmas would absolutely kill her if something happened to the baby, that was motivation if anything). She roared and stopped the blast with her hands, slowly being pushed back towards her point of origin. She could only still herself about a dozen meters in front of the building she just left. She pulled as much ki as she could, the desire to defend breaking her limits, and with her aura burning bright, she managed to build enough strength to deviate it upwards and into the atmosphere. The damage between her and the broadcast tower was terrible, but as she looked back, she saw she'd managed to protect a good part of the residential area of the city.
She looked towards the broadcast tower, and saw Cell's aura erupt and fly away. If the bio-android noticed her, or sensed her, the monster just ignored her, and she gritted her teeth knowing she would die if she went after it as she was. And flying in the middle of a city, at peak hour, as a super Saiyan, was attracting far too much attention in the dusk sky. People were gathering at the balconies. She promptly dropped the transformation and went back to the flat she just left, meeting Mika and his daughter (who had seemingly rushed up during Cell's announcement and saw everything from the balcony) who were beyond shocked- and scared. The girl muted the TV when she saw the teenager she crossed paths with half an hour prior land on her balcony.
"Trunks?" She called, she needed to be gone, she knew it, but the baby wasn't in her field of vision and she couldn't pinpoint his ki with so many people in the building and her exhaustion hindering her focus. The little rest she had wasn't enough to recover, and she knew she only pulled super Saiyan out of sheer survival instinct.
"You- you saved us! Saved us all!" Mika said. His daughter nodded, tears of shock in her eyes, everything she just witnessed was a rollercoaster. Trunks paced in the living room to find her alternate self, who was hiding behind the couch and staring at the TV. She kneeled down to scoop him up, the baby fussed and tried to fight her off as he pointed at the TV.
"You'll only be saved once that monster is obliterated," she finally breathed out, defeat in her voice, but instead of standing up with the baby, she sat on the carpet, back against the couch, letting the sheath's strap slide for comfort. "Damn it Trunks, don't be difficult. Give me- a minute and we'll be gone."
"No you can't go, you look exhausted," the other teenager said and approached while Mika closed the windows and blinds of the flat. Sure enough, helicopters and police sirens everywhere.
She reached to the strap and unclipped it, letting the sword slide behind her and then pulling it by her right side, while the baby nested between her crossed legs and decided now was as good as ever to indulge in a nap.
"Syo-chan, you closed shop right?" Mika came back after having locked everything. The girl confirmed and sat on the carpet near Trunks, around the coffee table, while Mika himself sat in one of the armchairs.
"I'll be honest Tora-san, I knew the sword wasn't for show but this is ridiculous. Also you can fly?" Mika was just baffled, but spoke in half hushed tones, since the baby obviously wanted to sleep. Trunks was flustered, she avoided eye-contact and focused on her counterpart, removing his beanie which seemed to bother him, and if the eyes and gaze was a dead giveaway of their parentage, the light lavender of their hair absolutely sealed the deal.
"That's a complicated story, but short answer: it's a martial arts technique. Uh, Mika-san? Would you let me borrow your phone, please?"
Agreeing immediately, Mika stood and went to fetch the wireless phone; one of the luxuries of modern apartment complexes. The daughter took a closer look at the other teenager, curious, then at the baby, noting the similarities. Trunks got red under the scrutiny, distracted by her strange clothes (a short-sleeved white blouse with a bow the same shade of dark green as her long pleated skirt, a strange badge on her chest) and her features (high ponytail, bangs, leaf-shaped earrings, green eyes). Trunks quickly thanked Mika when he brought the phone over, and she dialed the only number she'd dialed prior and whose numbers she remembered well enough: Kame-House.
"Good evening, my apologies for calling so late. It's Tora. Is Tenshinhan-san there? .. Ok, so, Yamcha-san?.. Yes, you saw the news?… Yes that was me, you sensed it?… The TV?"
When the TV was mentioned, the three looked at the muted screen and saw a few burred versions of Trunks' intervention from different angles. The golden aura, the yellow hair, the sword on her back were unmistakable, and the headers dubbed her the Mysterious Golden Defender, with a whole lot of image pauses to try and analyze what was going on. The aura suddenly disappeared and the flying fighter just up and disappeared. When the two earthlings looked back at Trunks, she was red, thankful that the cameras were far enough to not see where she went, and not pick up actual details.
"Shit … Well I was there, what did you want me to do?… Anywa- no that's not why I'm calling. I need you to call Capsule Corp and tell them I have Trunks- Ok that sounds like a ransom call," she bit down a chuckle with a nervous glance at the other two. She didn't need them to call the police on baby-abduction charges. "Well she was asleep, put me of all people on baby-watch, and I needed some fresh air so-... It's- Look, I tried the Mafuba, got absolutely drained, I have two broken ribs… I am in no mental state to deal with everyone's bull- nonsense, Yamcha-san… Vegeta is the reason I'm as far away-... Is that Tenshinhan-san? Hand him the phone."
She got firmer and angrier as she spoke, until the prospect of another interlocutor cut that short. Clearly the talk with Yamcha was a pain. Her refilled cup of coffee appeared on the coffee table and she thanked the girl with a bright but exhausted smile, then looked away to focus. The other teenager was somewhat distracting and Trunks didn't have time to think as to why. She drank between sentences.
"Tenshinhan-san is the reasonable kind of person who listens, right?.. Thank you. I just accidentally took off with Trunks.. Well he's stubborn and wouldn't let go… I just need someone to inform them he's with me and he's fine… I need to rest and sort myself before I can drop him off, I am in no condition of flying or driving… And the cops and the army are everywhere… Well I don't exactly have a valid ID, Tenshinhan-san!... Mhm?"
Whatever was asked confused Trunks. She checked her watch, then looked at the other two who weren't exactly listening in, but were quietly chatting and keeping attentive. Trunks wasn't loud in her conversation, but she wasn't whispering either so she didn't mind.
"Mika-san, can the roof be landed on?" She asked, and Mika confirmed with a nod. "Yes, the building can be landed on- Is it ok if I wait here a few hours?" Mika and his daughter both nodded yes, like, 'duh, obviously'. Trunks thanked with a softer smile. "Understood, I'll stay put. Tenshinhan-san? Thank you."
She hung up the phone and put it on the coffee table, finally glad the social interaction was over.
"How will your friends find you? You didn't give them the address," Mika remarked.
"Skilled martial artists tend to have a strong life essence. I'll make sure they can sense mine once I sense theirs. I am sorry for imposing myself until then..."
"Why are you even apologizing? Let us thank you by inviting you to dinner." It was the least Mika could do, considering the state of the city between their building and the broadcast tower.
Food sounded good, even if she raided the fridge in the early afternoon, it was far from enough to fill her depleted energy levels. She couldn't refuse the offer even if she wanted to.
"Alright, let's put this baby somewhere more comfortable." Mika offered, and Trunks agreed. "I should have a crib around, then we'll get you sorted for the evening." The older man stopped in the corridor to search one of the storage closets, and indeed, found a folded crib, which he brought back triumphantly. A minute later, the crib was furnished and properly cushioned, and Trunks scooped up her alternate self to put him down properly, beanie and all. She even placed her sword on top of the crib, so it would be neither on her back nor on the way.
While the other teenager was getting dinner ready, Mika beckoned Trunks over to 'get her sorted'. The teenager followed the man across the flat, noticing how many more pictures of people were on the corridor walls.
"I suppose your eight hours in the binder were up a while ago, and you mentioned broken ribs," he asked with a little worry.
"Ah, I'm not actually wearing one. This is armor." She opened up her jacket, then pulled up her tee to show the armor underneath, letting the man see for himself the elastic but sturdy material. "As for my ribs, they're stress fractures, they're already healing."
"Were you checked by a physician?"
"No, but I've had my ribs broken a hundred times, I know my body well. I appreciate your concern, I'll just wash up."
Mika didn't insist despite wanting to, but set Trunks up with a towel and showed her the washroom. In the bathroom, she checked the changes in her body over the past year. Apart from the broken ribs (which were already partly healed, if her breathing and touch were to be believed, which meant Sixteen's radar had been accurate) and her hair, she noticed a few changes. She grew a little taller, at least according to how her jacket fit her shoulders and arms. Her overall frame didn't change even if she knew she was physically much stronger than before, and her muscles were more defined. She lost a little baby fat on her cheeks. 'Well I'm an adult now, after all,' she mused and went back out, the smell of food getting her to hurry up. She ended up not removing the armor, just washed her face and hands, and walked out with the jacket in hand.
On her way back however, a set of colors on one of the photos of the corridor caught her eye. Blonde, black-haired. She stopped on her tracks, walked back, and took a closer look. "Seventeen and Eighteen," she whispered. The two tweens posing for a photo on a carousel in a theme park, the boy seemingly having far more fun than the girl who looked more reserved, but present nonetheless, were the human bases for the Cyborgs. Their haircuts were different, they didn't have the gold earrings, and their blue eyes were lively despite a certain sober heaviness ('like Mother's.. and mine', Trunks realized), but these kids were the Cyborgs, without a doubt. She even remembered them from the pictures found in Dr Gero's 'diary'. Trunks unpinned the picture and pocketed it, she'd need to ask Mika about them, and promptly walked out to be greeted by a dining table with a large central plate of pasta with delicious-smelling red sauce. Hunger took over other priorities, and she sat down where Mika indicated without needing to be told twice.
After a quick thanks for the food, they all ate, and she had to control herself and not inhale the food. Her metabolism had already absorbed all she ate in the fridge at Capsule Corp and demanded more. Considering her energy drain it wasn't surprising.
Trunks conversed lightly all while keeping an eye on the muted TV (replaying the same images over and over again and a whole lot of wild theories about everything), sharing her age (and finding out Syowa, Mika's daughter, was seventeen, and that the outfit she was wearing was actually a school uniform), but otherwise keeping vague about everything else, and appreciating how little intrusive they were. They clearly had experience dealing with people with dark stories they didn't want to share, even if her circumstances were far from human comprehension.
Syowa kept an eye on the other teenager, or rather young adult who was only barely older than her, but carried the world over their shoulders. Tora kept looking back at her, and those light blue eyes were intense if anything. She couldn't hold the gaze, she looked away every time. 'And on top of it all, he's got a kid. What kind of person is he, really?'
Trunks- the baby, had eaten just before she left, so him not waking up with the smell of food indicated he was content. Eventually Trunks was asked which pronouns and honorifics she preferred, and she paused a moment. No one actually ever asked her, so she actually thought about it for once.
"It's best if I keep being thought of as a man, even if I am not. Not even my allies know the truth, and it is vital for me to keep it that way," she said, knowing both of them knew she binded, her eyes drifting over to the crib. "I have a million other priorities than worrying about how people address me."
'Uh, I guess I'm not having a crisis anymore,' she realized that since Cell showed up, her worries and doubts vanished as she did the dishes (she insisted on thanking them for the food, especially as she took seconds and thirds). Priorities. Goals. 'You'll break down in Mother's arms and question everything once you're back home, Trunks.'
"School's closing," Syowa informed, seeing a header on the TV. Trunks came over once the dishes were finished.
"Considering a monster basically announced the end of the world on live TV, I guess that's to be expected." Mika explained, and the phone rang. He went on to answer it, and Trunks was left alone with Syowa.
"You're going to participate? In the tournament that thing announced." The younger teenager asked.
"Yes." Trunks didn't hesitate, but she knew she was no match for the bio-android. 'Yet,' her blood corrected. She frowned, thinking she'd have to actually accept and train again with Vegeta, but the mere thought of him revolted her. Mika walked by in haste, with a large bag and jacket on.
"I have to go," he told the two, walking out of the apartment. "Don't wait on me and go to sleep, ok?"
The teenagers acknowledged, and the man was gone. Trunks eventually gave in to an itch and stepped on the balcony to smoke. The other teenager followed her, and they both leaned on the railguard to look at the damage and the rescue efforts. Syowa was looking with horror and sorrow, and Trunks just got reminded of home and took a dose of nicotine, before groaning in disgust. 'Year-old tobacco tastes awful.' But that didn't stop her.
"You're familiar with war, aren't you," Syowa observed in a whisper with a little sorrow.
"Mh," Trunks confirmed and blew smoke upwards. The landscape looked familiar and different. At least this world had Dragon Balls, and she knew they'd revive everyone killed by Cell once that threat had been dealt with. Surely everything would end up fine.
"And your son? You're moving here to give him a better life?"
Trunks just about choked hearing those words as she took in the next nicotine dose, while Syowa looked curiously.
"Oh no no no, it's- no, he's a relative. And no. I mean, yes, I am trying to give him a better life, but-" She sighed, looked back at Syowa, and saw nothing but admiration and care, then turned away. "I am not running away. As soon as Cell is dealt with, I am going back and putting an end to the monsters that terrorize my world. Then perhaps I can stop being a fighter and wear a dress or something," she chuckled at the idea, but she realized it would be nice, an embodiment of having achieved some sort of peace. 'I didn't get the chance to wear a cute school uniform like yours actually,' she eyed the other up and down with a wistful smile, taking note that this girl was actually taller than her.
Syowa felt suddenly strange being looked at by those intense blue eyes, and still couldn't meet the gaze, so she looked away.
"You keep staring at me, Tora-san," the teenager remarked, and Trunks blinked then looked away.
"Ah, sorry. I am not used to being around girls my age, and you're really pretty and… accepting." She took another nicotine dose, trying to shove the embarrassment away.
"So you're really not trans?" Syowa got a little closer, flustered by the compliment but focusing on the other piece of information, and seeing Trunks look back with a big question mark, she relaxed and smiled; she'd given that talk to others before, but not to people older than her, and not flying Golden Defenders. "Trans people are people whose gender identity isn't the same as the body they were given. Most people who wear binders hate the feminine aspects of their body and they're actually boys, up here," she pointed at her own head.
"Oh. Then I don't know. I had to wear binders out of necessity. I'm not a boy, but.. it feels a little weird, saying 'I'm a girl'. Haven't had the chance to be a girl… My mind just tells me I am me." She took a moment to put her right hand on her own chest, above the armor, then finished her cigarette. "No, I don't hate my body," she added. "Letting my allies believe I'm male helps me.. fight. Only a couple of other people know," she sighed, missing her mother even more so. "Or knew." She added with a reserved sigh.
"Because of war?" The halfling confirmed with a nod and blew smoke.
"Yes. I haven't had hair this long in over ten years, Mother will be happy it grew," Trunks smiled as some memories of her early childhood came to her, of Bulma braiding her hair or giving her cute ponytails. 'Kind of similar to Syowa-chan's, actually,' she realized looking back at the other.
"I'm sorry you're going through that and Kami I hope you'll find peace and just be."
"That's the plan. I know I can deal with the threat of my world now, it's a matter of dealing with Cell."
"Make sure you come back and tell us about it, ok? Dad's always wondering if those he helps have managed to find peace. Even if you ended up helping us more than we helped you," she muffled.
"I will keep it in mind," Trunks couldn't really promise, considering the circumstances, but she whispered the next two words with sincerity. "Thank you." She finished her cigarette, extinguished it on the sole of her boot, then went back inside to throw the butt in the trash.
Syowa went on to change out of her school uniform and into her pajamas, and watch TV with Trunks. Trunks turned back on the TV's sound to listen to the interviews and repeats of the night's events. The baby didn't seem to care about the sound, the time traveler kept it low enough it seems. She couldn't help a little dry laugh at the whole Golden Defender spiel, it reminded her of the militias talking about the Golden Warrior (and them having not noticed there had been two). It seemed both teenagers agreed to not go to bed despite Mika's asking them to, and when he returned well into the night, Syowa had dozed off on the couch and Trunks was feeding her counterpart. The capsule containing the 'baby stuff' had everything she needed for a day-long trip, and as she was advised, Bulma had switched to solid food. The TV was finally off.
"You're not asleep, Tora-kun?" Mika remarked. He looked exhausted from whatever errand he went off to do after his phone call.
"No, I need to be ready to go, and coffee helps," she indicated the refill Syowa had made for her with a thankful smile. "Dust has started to settle, they should arrive soon."
"I'll wait with you, then. Let me put Syowa in bed." Mika took his daughter in his arms, slowly because 'boy, she's heavy' and he wasn't getting any younger, but he managed just fine.
She put Trunks back into the crib, but Trunks was having none of the whole 'laying down' thing. He reached and held himself up by grabbing the sheath's strap above the crib, staring right through his alternate older self. She met his eyes with a softer smile, but her eyes were full of melancholy and anger as she worried about his future relation with Vegeta and whether he'd betray him as well.
When Mika came back, Trunks was putting the baby stuff back into its rightful capsule. Her ribs were now mostly healed, even if the bones hadn't fully consolidated. "They're on their way," she breathed out with a sense of relief when she felt a distinct ki spike.
A minute later, everything was packed, the baby was happily tucked in her jacket, and Trunks followed Mika all the way to the rooftop. She looked towards the south, keeping tabs on the kis she felt just earlier. Tenshinhan had flared his energy high enough for her to pick up, 'we're on our way' she had deduced the message be. Mika had put on a coat for the colder 1am weather, and was looking around, trying to catch sight of any sort of flying vehicle, but the teenager seemingly knew.
"Tora-kun," Mika approached while Trunks looked intensely forward. He slid a paper into her hand. "This is my phone number."
Trunks put it in her pants pocket, where she felt the photo she had snatched before, and made eye contact with a softer expression. "I won't forget your kindness. I will make sure to see you both before I leave," she promised, then turned back to the sky. She felt them coming closer before she could actually see the vehicle.
"They're close", she whispered, so she built up her ki slowly, so Tenshinhan could easily locate her. Mika stayed close, seeing the kind of strength Tora was capable of summoning, and soon enough, the helico-plane arrived and landed on the roof, and Tenshinhan jumped off of it from the back. Seemingly someone else was driving it. Trunks promptly dropped her ki in response, and after one last smile to his host, she met Tenshinhan halfway and walked with him to the back door.
After a few steps, however, she reached and put a hand on his arm, suddenly needing support. Tenshinhan gave the needed support, walked at her pace, and helped her into the helicop-model, and she didn't even manage to set her alarm before exhaustion finally claimed her.
Trunks opened her eyes on a rocky formation, on a rainy dark day, with pain. She rubbed her neck, stood fast, and saw ahead the remains of Central City. She darted off towards the city, whispering 'no, no, no, no' all over again. Something horrible had happened, her watch indicated late afternoon. Her mind was clouded, her hair was wet, she pushed the short strands away from her eyes as she flew low and searched, extending her senses to feel anyone she could save. Nothing. The smell of death and acid rain saturating her senses, she couldn't hear her own voice calling out a familiar name, until her eyes caught a glimpse of orange.
"Gohan-san," she heard herself as she landed and approached her mentor, laying face down in a crater of blood and water. She walked, then ran, calling again, and again and again. She knew, but she still hoped. She knelt, turned him around and out of the water, whispered 'wake up!', but he didn't wake, and she knew he wouldn't. 'You went and fought on your own, you abandoned me because I was a liability,' she tried again to wake him, to push her ki into his body, but it was too late.
He was ice cold.
Trunks screamed as the realization fully hit her, her mind broke at the loss of one of the only two people she had left, she truly cared about, one of the only two people in this god forsaken world she was attached to. She saw red and gold, and fueled by an intense desire to get revenge, she flew off, trying to find and destroy the target of her hatred, only to have her watch beep an urgent warning.
She changed course towards West City, and quickly dropped by Capsule Corp, only to find Eighteen dragging out her mother by her hair. She didn't notice Seventeen atop a building with a view of the dome, waiting. The blonde Cyborg was saying something about Bulma's long braid and was speaking tauntingly about being ready to do something about it with the large gardening scissors in her hand. Trunks rushed towards Eighteen, but Seventeen came through and kicked her side, and forced her face down a few meters away from her home.
"Ah, there you are, Lilac! Or rather, mini-Blondie?" the Cyborg hit her back with his foot, and Trunks fought, trying to get up, eyes firmly on Eighteen who put Bulma down on her knees.
"Mom!" She roared and scratched the concrete, but Seventeen didn't let her go, his other foot slamming her right arm down, breaking her elbow. She tried forcing herself to not vocalize her pain, but failed, and seeing Eighteen manhandle her mother enraged her. She conjured what strength she could to push off Seventeen and rush to her mother, but no strength came, and Seventeen happily pressed on the broken bones to keep her down.
She watched in horror as the scissors cut through her mother, blood filling her field of vision. And stabbed again and again. Trunks' ear buzzed with the screams (hers, Bulma's, Eighteen's laughs), until silence came and the rain carried Bulma's blood and blue strands of hair over to her.
"Now that's done…" she heard Seventeen's voice above her, and the weight on her back and arm left, only to be grabbed by her hair and lifted up while something kept her arms firmly behind her.
She fought the hold, but her wrists and elbows cracked, and the force was far beyond hers. The voice changed, and Eighteen disappeared, leaving only Bulma's slaughtered corpse. Trunks struggled more as a gross green tail snaked around her neck and held her firmly in place, choking the life out of her little by little.
"... we're going to revel in your failures," the voices of Cell, Seventeen and Eighteen echoed in her mind as her vision faded.
"No one is going to save you," Vegeta's voice taunted as a sting pierced her chest, right into her heart.
The teenager woke up with a gasp, eyes darting around, heart pounding, sitting up suddenly. She released the hands she realized she was holding, and after looking at them (and how white they were), then gazed from the hands to the forearms to the arms to the owner of those hands. She recognized the man through her messy hair.
"Tenshinhan-san," she let out, releasing the breath she was holding. And near him, Chaozu. "Chaozu-san," she whispered. She wasn't at Capsule Corp. She was fully dressed, and she recognized the place: Kame-House. The room in which Goku was sleeping. Her sword was near the futon she was put on for the night. She didn't have a blanket on, considering how hot it was and how she hadn't been undressed. She still had her capsule cases in her inside pockets, secured. It all had been a nightmare.
"Trunks!" She looked around, suddenly realizing an element was missing from her previous night's escapade: the baby.
"With Bulma, Yamcha took him when you fell asleep." Tenshinhan answered while he moved his fingers slowly, regaining some blood circulation from the desperate hold Trunks had on his hands. He saw the distress and reached to give a comforting touch, but Trunks gripped on his hands the moment they got close enough, and held them through the nightmare. And didn't let go despite Tenshinhan's best efforts to be set free. He had to strengthen his hands with his own ki so they wouldn't break under the pressure the half-Saiyan was putting in.
Trunks noticed she'd been holding onto those hands for dear life, which explained their state, then looked away, blushing and mumbling an apology. She was suddenly thankful for her long hair, since she could hide her face in it. It had come undone, too.
The former Crane students saw and felt the nightmare, Chaozu had used his powers to see what was going on when Tenshinhan ended up calling for help, with Trunks' ki pulsating and feeling all sorts of wrong, and established a link with his closest friend. They silently swore nobody would ever know what they saw; the bottled up rage, the anguish, the loss, the despair.
"You're still tired, Trunks-san, rest some more," Chaozu spoke, but Trunks shook her head no, then checked her watch. Six thirty in the morning.
"No, this is plenty of sleep. Far more than I usually get." There were still tears in the corner of her eyes, she wiped them off, slowly calming down and chasing the mirages away.
Nightmares were the second reason why she slept so little, with a strict timer. The first reason had been to always be on alert. And it was a pattern she developed when society as a whole collapsed, after the few months of trying to help people escape, and witnessing first hand the blood, the bodies and the injuries. Her mother tried sleeping pills, but the posology didn't agree with her age and physiology. So Trunks, aged ten, began short sleeps instead of long ones, forcing herself to wake up before her sleep cycle started the dream phase (she'd learnt about it in one of the human biology and anatomy books her mother had). By forcing herself to such a broken sleep cycle, she stopped dreaming, knowing all her dreams would turn into nightmares.
Her first true night had been when Vegeta carried her back to the living quarters after insulting her mother. She knew she had a nightmare that night, thankfully only remembering the feeling of despair and not the actual events her mind made up. And now this one, which she remembered vividly and had her shaking. The difference being that in the Room of Spirit and Time, she had been beat down and was physically and mentally at her limit, while this time, she was just drained- exhausted, but not physically harmed.
"I'll get you breakfast then," Chaozu chirped and went on his way before the teenager could protest or refuse.
After a moment of silence and not meeting Tenshinhan's eyes, the older man eventually spoke, and his hand gave her back her hair tie.
"You should have been unconscious the moment Cell broke through the Mafuba. How did you hold that long?"
"In my world, it's only me. If I lose consciousness, people die," she whispered, disappointed she couldn't hold it, but taking the hair tie slowly. "I failed," she admitted defeat through gritted teeth.
"Kami you're resilient. You didn't fail, Trunks," Tenshinhan protested, speaking firmly enough that the teenager looked back through the lavender locks.
"How can you say that? I didn't destroy Cell, I could have destroyed Eighteen but I didn't, I even let Vegeta-san have it his way, probably dooming you all."
"Piccolo and I saw what you did, you did nothing wrong. We failed you, if anything."
Trunks grumbled at the affirmation. She wanted to disagree, but resentment was still present and that kept her quiet. She ran her left hand through her hair, briefly, loosely combing it, then tied it back.
"We can only hope Son-san has found a solution in the Room of Spirit and Time. Vegeta-san wants me to go back in there with him..."
Tenshinhan sympathized, he understood how much the teenager's life had been broken by constant combat, by being the sole defender of his world, and now by Vegeta's betrayal. And how he returned to 'Vegeta' instead of the 'Father' he'd noted a few hours prior, but still considered going in again with him despite it all. The glimpse into his past, his loss of Gohan who had been his mentor, as he just found out, made him admire the fortitude. 'How are you even standing?' He had no words.
When Chaozu came back with a full Goku-sized breakfast on a big tray, Trunks suddenly forgot all about the conversation and her stomach did the talking. Her body still demanded more energy to replenish, and the food disappeared in an instant and she thanked Chaozu with tears of gratitude, apologizing for not savoring everything properly. If the birthday dinner had been delicious, this was heaven. Chaozu took all the compliments gracefully and played them off as if he did nothing, it was the least he could do.
With the nightmare fully chased, her stomach full, and some kind reassurance by more literal strangers, Trunks decided she wouldn't decide on anything before she'd seen Goku and Gohan. No use making decisions without properly assessing everything. The long sleep had at least fully healed her ribs, despite the nightmare that still whispered horrors in her ear.
She did decide to go to Capsule Corp to properly apologize to Bulma for taking off with her baby without warning. Even if that meant being near Vegeta, her mind was clearer now and she put Cell back on top of her hit list. Biggest threat first. Priorities.
She thanked Tenshinhan and Chaozu for their care, told them she'd be on the Lookout as soon as she was done at Capsule Corp, strapped her sword on her back, and took off.
"Wait until he finds out I repaired his sword," Chaozu giggled mischievously.
Kinda giving Chaozu more weird psych powers, sue me. He deserves more.