Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Days Of Our Lives ❯ Chapter 2

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

~*Days Of Our Lives*~

By Vanilla Twist

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Disclaimer: I own nothing, you hear? NOTH-IIIIIING!!!

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Chapter Two: The Androids Attack

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Emerald green eyes slowly flickered open in the dim light emitting from the bedside lamp. Shasta sat up and rubbed her eyes, glancing around at her surroundings as her blurred vision slowly came into view. She found herself in one of the guest bedrooms in the Capsule Corp manor, dressed in a pale blue night dress. Her back ached painfully at the base of her spine, were her tail once portruded…

Just then, the bedroom door swung open softly on it's hinges and Trunks walked in, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He smiled weakly as he met her gaze and sat down at the edge of the large, queen-sized bed.

"Hey! How ya feeling?" he asked, pulling his knees up to his chest. The red-head simply looked up at him with those big, shiny green eyes of hers and stiffled a sob. A hand reached up to wipe away the tears threatening to fall.

"They cut off my tail, Trunks….how..how do you THINK I feel..?!" she whimpered angerily. The lavender haired boy whinced at her tone of voice but did'nt back away. He leaned in closer and hugged her soothingly.

"They deserve everything they have coming to them." He whispered into her ear, stroking her back gently in an attempt to calm her down.

Soon, her sobs had dissappeared, replaced by a few whimpers every now and then. Her arms wrapped around Trunks as she rested her head on his shoulder,still sniffling to a degree. Trunks smiled weakly and stroked her hair. "Sssh….don't cry…"he cooed as he felt her shoulders heave with pent up tears.

They sat hugging each other for what felt like an eternity, the only sound in the room coming from Shasta as her breaths came in short, raspy bursts.

"They called me..a…a stupid, ugly freak……" she whimpered, feeling tears trail down her pale cheeks, leaving shiny wet trails down her face.

Trunks slowly took her chin in his thumb and index finger, staring deep into her eyes. "Hey….you're not a freak, Shas…and you sure as heck are'nt stupid! You're the smartest girl I know! And I mean that!"

The cat-girl looked gazed back at him, a tiny smile playing across her face. "Y…you mean that?"

"Of course I do! You're the smartest, prettiest girl I've ever known! Don't let anyone tell you you're not 'cause you are!" Trunks moved his thumb to wipe away a tear trailing down her cheek before moving his hand down to her shoulder.

"That's a fact!"

The red-head smiled up and him and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. "Trunks…I…!" she started, but she quickly abandoned trying to sum up her happiness in words and instead leaned forward, planting a sweet kiss on the lavender haired boy's lips.

Trunks's eyes widdened so much at this simple action that they looked set to pop out of their sockets. His face turned a deep shade of red and sat, mouth slightly open with shock, staring at her as if she'd sprouted an extra head.

Shasta flushed pink and smiled shyly. "T..Thank you, Trunks….for everything."

All the demi-Saiyen could do was stare, wide-eyed at her, nodding his head slowly, having lost the ability to speak. This earned a giggled from the young cat-girl, who waved a hand in front of his face in an attempt to snap him out of his stumpor.

"Do you realise just how silly you look with your mouth hanging open like that?"

Slowly coming to his senses, Trunks closed his mouth, still staring at her. "Y…..you kissed me…!"

"Um…yes…Heh…Relax, Trunks! I have'nt got cooties!"

"I was just kissed…….by a girl….THAT…. IS…. SO….. GROSS!!" Trunks yelled, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand as if some foul subtance was coating his lips. Shasta watched, shaking her head in amusement and muttering something that sounded oddly like "Boys..".

She climbed slowly out of bed, whincing as the ache in her behind intensified.

She glanced back at Trunks-still trying to rid himself of the fact a girl had kissed him-and giggled. "Really….I'm gonna go tell Bulma I feel-" she started, but was cut short by an almighty explosion which made the very foundation of the Capsule Corp shake violently.

"What the..?!" The two 10 year olds yelled in unison, before another explosion, louder this time, caused a small part of the ceiling to come crashing down onto the hard wood floor with a loud bang.

"We gotta get outta here!"Trunks yelled, grabbing Shasta's wrist and running towards the double doors leading onto the balcony. Upon throwing them open, he was greeted by the sight of the surrounding buildings, reduced to no more than huge piles of rubble and debris. The sound of gunfire, screaming and shouting echoed in the approching night and thick, black columns of smoke rose from the numerous buildings and upturned cars on fire.

"What's going on, Trunks?! Why..why is everthing ruined?!" Shasta yelled, but before she could get an answer, Trunks had picked her up in his arms and taken flight from the balcony. No sooner had they gotten a few metres away did the Capsule Corp crumble to dust before their very eyes.

"NO!! MOM! DAD!!" Trunks screamed, racing towards the rubble, but as he did so, a strong hand grasped the back of his shirt, almost wrenching it off his body. The lavender haired boy turned around and gasped in relief.

"Boy! Get out of here! Those terrorists from TV are attacking the town! I can't risk getting you caught up in this! Take Shasta and get out of the city!" Vegeta yelled, his free hand firing a number of amber ki bombs down at the ground, causing a few minor explosions.

"Mom..is she alright?!" Trunks yelled.

"She's fine, now get the hell out of here!! It's not safe, do you hear me?!" Vegeta yelled, flying down to the ground and landing roughly on the dented pavement.

"GALI-I-I-I-CK CANNON!!" he yelled, firing a beam of purple light at a black-haired teenager Trunks recodnized as Seventeen.

He yelled out to his father, but Shasta tugged on the front of his shirt and brought him to his senses. Rocketing through the air, he did not cease his speed untill he had reached the safety of the forrest on the outskirts of the city. Standing at the edge of a tall cliff-face, he was able to see the chaos as it happened.

Innocent bystanders screamed in terror as they ran for cover, a blonde woman in a black trenchcoat, driving a stolen Cadalac shooting into the crowds with an AK-47. Cars blew up and buildings were reduced to rubble as Vegeta, Goku, Yamcha and several others Trunks did'nt recodnize, battled against the two terrorists.

Both sides were putting up a tough fight, but it was obvious that the terrorists had the upperhand as they fired round after round of ammo and ki balls, landed kick after kick and laughed sadistically as everyone around them perished.

"Oh no…GOHAN!!" Shasta screamed, clamping a hand to her mouth in shock as she watched Gohan, sword gripped tightly in his hands, as he flew towards Eighteen, screaming in a blind fury.

Trunks watched in horror as one by one, the Z-fighters were defeated, falling to the ground dead or mortally wounded. He watched, blood running cold with terror, as all his friends, his family..were slaughtered before his very eyes. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, seeing his father falling to the ground, his eyes dead and lifeless, dead from a gapping hole in his stomach that was oozing blood..

Shasta felt Trunks' fear too, as she watched her uncle reduced to nothing more than ash as an enormous crimson ki ball fired by Seventeen incinerated his entire body, a blood-curdling scream echoing in the night. Soon, the only one left was Gohan….their last hope.

Seventeen flew at the raven-haired half-Saiyen, intent on having him suffer the same fate as his father. The battle was intense, punches and kicks throw wildly at each other, tearing each other limb from limb. It was getting hard to see the fight, the competitors having taken the fight deep into the city, the high walls blocking the children's view of what was happening…….but perhaps it was best if they did'nt see what was happening…

A horrid, crimson flash of light came from deep inside the city walls, lighting up the sky as the light formed a tall beam, piercing the clouds like a crimson spear of evil ki energy…

….and then….

….silence….

…..eerie, un-nerving silence…

The two Saiyen children glanced at each other, both too frightened to speak. They glanced down at the gates to the city, seeing the two terrorists power up and take to the night skys, laughing heartily as they disappeared into the inky black of night…

A soft drizzle of rain began to fall from the heavens, pattering softly on the cold, hard ground. Shasta and Trunks slowly walked down to the city entrance, too shocked, frightened and numb to even look at each other. They walked on for what felt like hours, deep into the heart of the now completly deserted city. It was so quiet….so…..eerie…

..like a ghost town..

All around them, destruction was to be seen. Many little fires dotted the streets and buildings, cars were lying upturned and smashed, broken glass littered the streets and entire housing estates were nothing more than piles of broken brick and twisted iron bars.

"G….Gohan?" Trunks called out, his voice hoarse and small, laced with fear. Shasta glanced around the street, were innumerable bodys lay still and motionless, face down on the ruined tarmac.

"Papa..? Uncle Goku? Anybody?!" she cried, her voice echoing around the desolate city. Not even a rat moved in the streets, the silent so thick it could've been cut with a knife. There seemed to be no sign of life, but still they walked onwards, hoping, praying that someone might still be alive…

The rain grew heavier still, plastering their hair to their heads as they climbed over rubble and ruined cars, searching for their loved ones….

"G…GOHAN!!!" Trunks cried out, almost causing his red-haired companion to jump out of her skin. She turned to were Trunks was standing and clamped a hand to her mouth in shock. Gohan -sweet, gentle Gohan- lay in a pool of his own blood, impailed on his own sword, eyes still wide with the terror he had faced in his final moments. A strangled sob escaped the young girl's throat as she sunk to her knees, her heart torn in two.

Trunks turned numb, his body cold with fear… he crouched down by the body of his fallen friend and held him in his arms, as if praying it was'nt Gohan….but there was no denying it….Gohan was dead, killed by a pair of cold blooded murderers…

Raw anger like Trunks had never known surged through his veins, his blood boiling inside his body. His vision blurred before him, his ears pounding as his blood coursed around his body. He felt tears sting at his eyes, his hands clenching into fists by his sides, so tightly were they clenched that crimson blood flowed from his palms. An anguished scream escaped his throat, his hair standing on end in long spikes attop his head. A golden aura surrounded his entire body, his ki increasing rapidly as his hair turned from soft lavender to golden blonde.

He fell to the ground, pounding his fists into the tarmac with such force that huge clouds of dust rose up in the air.

"T..Trunks…..?!" he heard Shasta croak, fear in her voice. Breathing heavily, he turned to face her, vision slowly coming into focus. She was on her knees next to Gohan's lifeless corpse, her eyes wide and shiny with tears, staring up at him with shock.

Trunks felt his ki slowly drop back to normal, his hair flopping back down in his face, returned to it's original lavender. He let out a whimper of grief and crawled towards her, slowly wrapping his arms around her in a needy hug, buring his head in her shoulder.

The rain lashed down painfully now and they both knew they could'nt stay out in the open for long, but having witnessed Gohan's lifeless body, both were too grief stricken to leave his body.

They stayed in a tight hug for what felt like an eternity, getting soaked to the bone in the rain. A distent sound of police sirens alerted Shasta to her senses. She looked up from were her head had been resting on Trunks' shoulder and saw, through the cold veil of rain, a lone police car heading in their direction.

"T..Trunksies….l..look.."she whispered, voice shaking half from the cold, half from grief. The lavender haired teen looked up and glanced at what she was staring at. Soon, a large police car had pulled up at the ruined kerb. The driver's door swung open and a tall, strapping young policeman with a thick Mario-like mustache stepped out, holding an umbrella above his head.

"Kids! What in the name of Kami are you doing out here in the rain?! You'll catch your death!" the policeman exclaimed, opening the back passenger door and pulling out several large blankets. He wrapped them around both of the children and ushered them into the car.

Shasta curled up on the back seat, snuggling under the blankets next to Trunks. "They're gone…..my family……all gone…" she whispered softly, fresh tears trickling down her cheeks. Trunks held her close to him, his chin resting on the top of her soaking wet head. As much as he felt like crying, he found that could'nt.

He could shed no more tears, his body having turned numb at the thought that everyone he loved….everyone he held close to his heart….had perished..

The policeman stared at them through the rear-view mirror, a pained smile on his pale face. "I know just how you two feel….my wife and kids were'nt so lucky……….I tell ya, when I find the…the….MONSTERS who did this, I'll make sure they suffer…"he whispered, his hands shaking as they grasped the steering wheel, driving out of the city and towards the road leading through the forrest.

"W…where are we going?" Trunks said weakly, his eyes tired and red from the crying he had done earlier.

"You two don't worry about that right now…the both o' ya have had a tramatic night….get some sleep. You'll need it." The policeman said, shaking his head. Feeling too exausted to ask any more questions, the lavender haired demi-Saiyen leaned against the soft black leather seat -Shasta already fast asleep with her head resting on his chest-and closed his eyes shut.

But sleep would'nt come. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw each and every one of his friends and family killed before his very eyes, like a horrible movie replayed over and over again in his subconcious mind. Sighing woefully, he opened his eyes and watched the scenary rush past the rain-soaked window. The rows and rows of trees were soon replaced by wide open plains, and upon glancing through the windscreen, Trunks could see the enterance to Hope City draw closer. The police car ambled up the dark street, passing few people on the sidewalk.

A thick mist floated through the air, adding to the morbid, eerie atomosphere of the night.

The police car soon came to a stop outside a large, dusty building made of faded red brick that was at least 6 storeys high. Trunks gently shook Shasta awake as the policeman got out of the car and pulled open the passenger door.

They both walked animatedly out of the car and followed the policeman up the steps to the enterance. It was so quiet inside the dimly-lit hallway, their footsteps echoing along the marbled floor.

"T..Trunks…. I know what this place is…." Shasta whispered softly, pulling her blanket tightly around herself. The lavender haired demi-Saiyen turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "Hmm?"

"T…this is the Hope City Orphanage…" she whispered, a pained expression on her face as the reality of it all finally sunk in. They were both orphanned, their parents having being killed in battle, leaving their futures undecided….

"Ya right about that, Miss. 'fraid this is where you'll be staying for the time being. If only I could to something to bring back those we've lost……but I'm not a miracle worker..I'm just a police officer. This were I take my leave. The receptionist down the corner will give you a room for the night. In the morning, we'll see what's to become of you. I bid you goodnight, young sir, Miss."

And with that, the policeman turned on his heals and exited the double oak doors, disappearing out of sight.

Both staring at each other, the two children stood in silence, the only sounds being the thunder crashing outside in the storm and their own shallow breathing. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Trunks finally spoke.

"….What now..?"

His companion sighed and shook her head, glancing down the hallway. "I don't know anymore, Trunks…. I..I just don't know……………..c'mon, let's go get a room for the night. We both need sleep, just like that cop said.."

She took his hand and walked slowly down the hallway, her bare feet not making a sound on the cold marble floor. They both reached the receptionist desk, were a tall, elderly woman with bone-white hair and thick glasses looked them over, a darkened expression on her wrinkled face.

"Such a shame t' see kids as young as you wander in here on a night like this…jus' don't make my job any easier…"she sighed, scribbling something on a clipboard. Trunks and Shasta remained silent, wondering what was to happen next…

"There's only th' one room left, up on the 6th floor. You can't miss it, really. Jus' take the elevator to th' top floor, turn right and go through th' first blue door you see. I'll see what is t' become of yeh in th' mornin'…sleep tight an' let th' good spirits guard yer sleep." Said the elderly lady, nodding solumnly to the pair.

Trunks uttered a thank you and walked alongside the cat-girl to the elevator. Once at the top-most floor, he followed the directions he'd been given and walked into a small room dimly lit by several candles burning in lanterns mounted on the wall. A large makeshift bed lay in the centre of the room, worn and thread-bare, covered by a few thin blankets. The only other furniture in the room was a chest of drawers, a vanity table and a large wardrobe.

It was'nt much, but it was enough.

Shasta yawned loudly and climbed into the bed, already fast asleep by the time her head hit the thin pillow on the left side of the bed. Trunks followed her in and tried to get to sleep, but he could'nt help stay awake. His sub-concious would not allow him to sleep…plaguing his dreams with the visions of death…….seeing a hole blown through his father's stomach before his very eyes….hearing the screams of the crowds as Eighteen shot at them with her AK-47…. Or smelling the foul stench of death everywhere he turned.

No 10 year old should ever have to see what he saw, Trunks though to himself as he lay on his back, arms folded behind his head. He turned his head to his left, watching Shasta's face contort in pain as she slept, her hands gripping her blankets tightly.

He could hear her whimpering, crying out for the chaos to end….she was reliving it all in her dreams…the images of hours gone by perminantly etched in her mind. Trunks' heart went out to her. He may have been shattered by this recent turn of events, but it was nothing to what his childhood friend felt.

She was not as strong as him, fearful of the world around her, having grown up in a home were abuse was hurled at her every waking day. Even though she felt resentment towards her parents, she still felt something towards her father and step-mother, even if they did'nt love her in return, and witnessing their deaths had been a tramatic experience for her. She had witness the demise of everyone she'd ever loved and held dear to her heart….her father….her uncle…..and her beloved cousin Gohan.

All she had left was Trunks, the boy she shared her birthday and countless others with.

And she was all Trunks had left in return. They were now alone together, depending on each other to make it through this mess..

They needed each other, both in body and in mind…..but a nagging voice in the back of Trunks' head wondered….

….would she blame him for obeying his father and staying out of the battle field? Would she blame him for not saving her family? So many horrid thoughts ran through Trunks' head that night and it was only untill the sun had begun to rise did he finally settle into a fitfull, nightmare-plagued sleep…..

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Sapphire blue eyes slowly flickered open, squinting against the rays of golden sunlight shining in the young boy's face. With a groan, Trunks sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawned and stretched his aching muscles. He glanced to his left, were Shasta lay, still fast asleep with a pained expression on her face. A weak smile crossed Trunks' mouth as he brushed a strand of hair from her face, his fingertips barely grazing her forehead.

Her eyes fluttered open, sad green eyes staring up at him curiously. "…..Was it…all a dream..?" she whispered, staring deep into his eyes.

Trunks sighed and shook his head, his heart growing heavy with grief. "I wish it was……."

The red-head sighed and sat up in bed, pulling her knees to her chest. She starred down absently at her knee-caps, remaining completely silent. From the grimy window at the far end of the room, the dull grey sky could clearly be seen. It looked set to rain again, as thunder crashed faintly in the distance, the air thick with a ghost-like fog. Shasta slowly turned to face Trunks, her eyes foggy and sad.

"Guess it's just you an' me, Trunksies…"she whispered, directing her attention back to her knees again as the onsought of tears stung at her eyes. She urged herself not to cry and clenched her eyes shut.

"Yeah…..I suppose.." Trunks whispered, placing an arm around her shoulder. She sighed and leaning against his shoulder.

"Trunks….promise me one thing, okay?" she said, raising her head to look at him. The lavender haired boy nodded slowly, positioning himself so that he was sitting crosslegged on the bed beside her.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, we'll always be friends, okay?" she said, folding her arms over her chest. Trunks smiled and nodded, extending his left pinkie.

"I promise." He whispered, as she curled her own pinkie around his, sealing the deal.

The bedroom door creaked open softly, the sound of footsteps reverberating around the room. The elderly lady who had given the two 10 year olds a room for the night walked through the door, her tweed skirt swaying with her movement. She adjusted her horn-rimmed specticles and smiled weakly.

"I see you're both awake. Breakfast is ready if you feel hungery."

The two demi-Saiyen's stomachs growled in longing. It felt like an eternity since they last ate… climbing out of bed, they both followed the elderly lady-who was known as Mrs.Jenkins- down to the first floor were there was a large cafeteria furnished with long picnic tables, a dozen young boys and girls seated at them, eating from bowls of chicken noodle soup.

Mrs.Jenkins guided the pair to a free table and disappeared into a door on the right marked 'KITCHEN', soon returning with two bowls of noodle soup. Poking absently at the noodles in her bowl, Shasta let out a sigh and held her head in her hands.

"Trunks.. I'm getting a really bad feeling…..something bad's gonna happen.. I can feel it.." she whispered, brow furrowed in confusion. The lavender haired teen looked up at her with his sapphire eyes and sighed.

"I..It's natural to feel like that after what happened yesterday..it's your nerves, Shas.."

The red-head gulped and starred into the bowl before her. "Maybe..maybe not… but this feeling of dread jus' won't lift…"

The day slowly slipped into night and the two Saiyen children were dreading the idea of having to spend another night in this depressing place. They both sat on the dusty old couches in the reception area, not wanting to be confined to their room. Trunks lay on his back, absently counting the cracks in the ceiling, Shasta sitting with her knees to her chest on the floor beside him.

They sat in silence, listening to the rain patter on the roof top, watching clear streams of water trickle slowly down the window pane.

Shasta suddenly shuddered involentarily, goosebumps rising up on her fleash.

"Hmm? Shas, what is it?" Trunks questioned, turning his head towards her. She shook her head and raced a hand to massage her temple.

"Weird….I saw a man in an over coat…..he…was leading you down a corridor….I think it was a vision.."

"A vison? You mean like all that John Edward psychic crap?" the lavender haired boy queried, arching an eyebrow as he sat upright on the couch, staring curiously at her. She was about to retort when the sound of footsteps nearby brought them to their senses.

Mrs.Jenkins, accompanied by a tall, thin man in his early 40's wearing a long, grey trenchcoat, walked into the room and motioned to Trunks, speaking animatedly with the strange man, who was wiping his thick glasses with a fist full of his coat.

"….Here he is, Mr.Matherson. Well-behaved , mild-mannered boy he is. He'll make a perfect son for you!" Mrs.Jenkins was saying, scribbling on her clipboard. The thin, bony-looking man known as Mr.Matherson raised one hand casually.

"Please, Matilda! Call me Jack!" he said, in a voice much younger than himself. He smiled shyly at the young boy before him, placing his glasses once more on the bridge of his nose.

Trunks glanced warily at the newcomer.

He was tall and frail, his cheekbones portruding from a handsome, pale face that was covering in premature age lines. Chestnut brown hair fell loose to his ears in untidy, flatted spikes and gentle grey eyes were enlarged 10 fold by the thick, magnifying glasse-like specticles on his nose.Under his trenchcoat, he wore a black t-shirt under a red woodcutter's shirt and a pair of ripped jeans that hung loose on his bony hips.

A laptop was held under one arm and he had all the makings of a man obsessed with science fiction.

"Trunks, this is Jack Matherson. He's requested to adopt you.." Mrs.Jenkins started. Trunks' eyes went wide.

"WHAT?! ADOPTED?!?!" he yelled, jumping to his feet. Jack laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, casting a wary glance at Mrs.Jenkins. He let out a sigh and kneeled in front of the boy so that they were face to face.

"I know this is hard for you, having just ….just lost your folks…but I'm here to give you a new start in life if you'll let me.."

"NO! I'm not going! Not without Shasta!" Trunks yelled, gripping his companion's wrist tightly. She looked fearfully up at him with her deep green eyes, then cast a glance at Jack and the elderly orphanage manager.

"Please…..Trunks is all I have left..don't take him away from me.."she whispered.

"Now, now, dearie! Don't worry! You'll still see each other again! This man only wants to provide for the boy!" Mrs.Jenkins said soothingly, placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder. Shasta whimpered and shrugged her hand off, hugging Trunks tightly, clinging onto him as if her very life depended on it.

"No! I'm not letting you take him away! I've lost too much! You can't take him! YOU CAN'T!!" she cried, feeling tears sting at her face. Trunks held her close, casting an ugly look at Mrs.Jenkins and Jack, who both recoiled slightly.

"You'll still see her, Trunks. I'm sure nothing will come between you two!"Mr.Jenkins chirped rubbing her hands together. With unnatural strenght for a woman of her age, she yanked Shasta away from the lavender haired demi-Saiyen, who in turn, was lead towards the door by Jack.

"NO! TRUNKS!!" she screamed, reaching out her hands towards him as Trunks did the same.

"Please! Don't leave me!!"Shasta screamed as she watched her only friend being hawled off to a strange new world, not knowing that that would be the last time the two would ever see each other again…..

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End Chapter Two

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