Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dependence Day ❯ Dependence Day ( One-Shot )

Dependence Day

By Kawaii_Cherry_Blossom

(I was BellaWaterFlower when I wrote this)

Hi peeps! I've finally finished my first DBZ fic! This fanfiction takes place in the time of Mirai Trunks - ie, the future that never was. If you've seen 'The History of Trunks' it will be easier to interpret this one - it's the bit when Trunks finds Gohan dead and transforms into a Super Saiyan for the first time. After that bit they cut straight to 3 years later. I've always wondered what would have happened between that time, and this is what I believe happened. If you haven't seen it, it doesn't really matter. Just keep in mind that Gohan was just murdered by the Androids, and Trunks - whom Gohan knocked out to keep him from following him - found him dead, spazzed out, transformed, and that's where this fic picks up. I haven't read any fics like this so hopefully mine will be interesting enough. Anywayz, enjoy!

A fierce crash of lightning came down upon the earth, and like a furious retaliation, a crash of deafening thunder followed it a few moments later.

"Darn it", Bulma cursed to herself. "Where can he be?"

Realising her work was providing no distraction from her worried conscience; she turned her computer off, rubbing her eyes from the discomfort of staring at a computer screen for way too long. Her son had gone off with Gohan earlier - much earlier. It was now ten at night. Of course, Bulma was worried - which parent wouldn't be? The concern housed in her mind, however, was much deeper than any normal parents'. Bulma knew Gohan was training Trunks - it wasn't hard to see the tight muscles developing on his arms. Every time she let Trunks go anywhere with Gohan, she would worry endlessly. The Androids would only fight anybody worthy of their time - and Gohan and Trunks would most certainly provide them with the evil entertainment they craved. Gohan had already lost one of his arms when they fought last, and he had done it protecting Trunks. It wasn't that Bulma didn't trust Gohan - he was one of her best friends, and she cared for him like a son - but she was aware that if they came across the Androids, Trunks would not back down to help Gohan and fight them - and that was what made Bulma distress. Bulma shook herself out of the train of thought she was travelling down and stood up. "Well, it isn't going to do me any good just sitting here. I have to go and look for him." Grabbing her bright, hot pink raincoat, she ran out the door and into the garage, throwing open a capsule. With a puff of smoke, her jetplane appeared, and Bulma quickly sat herself inside, pressed the button to open the roller door and flew out, determined to find her son. The rain belted down upon the jetplane, making it almost impossible for Bulma to see outside, and at the same time irritating her strongly. Tears stung her eyes at the realisation that she may have lost her only son tonight, but she held them back to the point of pain. She would find him, she could feel it. Bulma kept her determination up as she flew into a nearby city. Buildings were crumbled, houses destroyed, trees resulted to ashes - the Androids had obviously been there recently. She couldn't see any ki blasts being thrown anywhere, so she figured it was safe - that the Androids had left. Despite the fatigue creeping through her bones, Bulma forced herself to keep her eyes alert and open wide, as she flew down closer to the city.

After searching for almost fifteen minutes and not finding a thing, Bulma's worry began to rise. She shook her head roughly. "No, I can't lose hope. He has to be here somewhere…" 'But', Bulma thought to herself. 'What makes me think he's here? He and Gohan could have gone back to Gohan's house to get out of the rain. Or they could be home now - they could have been in another town when the Androids attacked.' Although the excuses were good, Bulma couldn't bring herself to believe them. Somehow she knew Trunks was out here. Somehow… Suddenly, a flash of yellow light caught Bulma's eye. She halted the jetplane, peering closer to the yellow aura of light surrounding…was that her son? Yes, it was, she was sure of it. Bulma was filled with a source of joy. But this joy, however, turned to shock when she looked closer. Lying on the ground near her son was a still body. Bulma knew, though she couldn't see the attributes of the person clearly, who it was. Gohan. "Oh, Kami…" Bulma let out as she landed the jetplane. With a look of uncertainty, crossed with shock, present on her face, Bulma ran to the scene. Not even noting that her son seemed to be a Super Saiyan, Bulma walked up to him slowly, getting down on her knees next to him. "Trunks?" Bulma whispered. "Sweetie?" She had known this day would come. With Gohan fighting the Androids constantly, it wasn't a complete shock to find him dead - they all knew it would happen someday. The pain surrounding that knowing, however, was not numbed as the situation presented itself. And for her son…who looked up to Gohan like he were his father… Bulma stopped thinking and concentrated on her son.

The rain had cleared, somewhat, leaving the sky clouded with greyness, and a light drizzle present in the atmosphere. Her son blinked, long and hard, and a whimper escaped from his mouth. Trunks' eyes drifted from the dead, bloodstained body of his best friend to the fearful, uncertain face of his mother. His golden hair and the aura that surrounded his body faded quickly, and his eyes returned to their normal straight blue. Obvious in his piercing blue eyes were fear…pain…apprehension. He blinked out tears of horror, which ran down his smooth cheeks, leaving a trail of moisture. Before Bulma knew it, he was in her arms. His small, almost fragile frame racked with sobs as his arms gripped his mothers body, longing for the security of a loved one. He cried helplessly onto her shoulder as she held him tightly, rubbing his back slowly, steadily. "He - he went without me, mom…" Trunks choked out, almost inaudibly. "I…I didn't…even get to say goo-goodbye". Not saying a word, Bulma let him wail. She understood perfectly well what he was going through - having suffered through so many losses in her lifetime. Bulma ruffled his soaking wet hair. She looked down at the lifeless form of Son Gohan. His gi was tattered and torn in many places, bruises and cuts dominated his body and dried blood remained on his face from a gash in his forehead, although the rain had washed most of it away. "Oh, Gohan…" Bulma sighed, tears streaking down her face. Yet another one of her friends - yet another reminder of the carefree past they shared - gone. The look of pain embellished upon Gohan's face was heartbreaking…it was a look of sheer anguish, shock even…but at the same time a source of peace. It did not shock Bulma to see a friend in this condition - she'd seen it so many times before. For her son, though… She thought back to Goku's death during his fight with Radditz, and how she was so heartbroken, seeing him lying there…lifeless…still… Bulma was snapped out of her train of thought as Trunks calmed down, his weeping ceasing to small sniffles. He let go of his mother's embrace and leaned against her as they sat on the pavement. "He died bravely, Trunks. You don't have to be sad - Gohan wouldn't want you to be", Bulma explained - aware that she was attempting to console herself as much as she was her son - as she rubbed his back comfortingly. "It's almost better for him this way. He can be happy again - see his father and his friends. I'll bet he'll tell them all about you and what a strong, powerful young man you've become. Your father will be so proud of you."

Trunks looked up, a cross between hope and uncertainty emblazoned upon his face. "You really think so?" he asked, sniffing.

Bulma nodded. "I know so. In fact, I bet he's telling them right now."

A sad look entered Trunks' face - not a look of grief, just one of pure, simple sadness. "What will I do without him, though?"

"You're strong, Trunks. You can do it. I know you can. You have Gohan watching over you now. And you know he wouldn't let anything happen to his favourite student", Bulma coaxed.

"Can we bury him with the others, mama?" he asked, a tone of endlessness desolation slipping into his voice.

Bulma nodded. "Of course, Trunks. But…not just yet…"

Trunks gave her a confused look. Tears came to Bulma's eyes, and this time it was her turn to look down to the ground. "First we have to tell ChiChi…"

Trunks sat silently next to his mother in her jetplane as she once again took off, this time with Gohan's body in the back.

"I wish everything could be fine, the way you tell me it was when you were younger…" Trunks trailed off, tears present in his eyes once again, his voice quavering - letting Bulma know that he was weeping again. He opened his mouth to add something, but closed it soon after, and again sat in silence. He knew he would cry harder if he opened his mouth once more, and he wanted nothing more but to be strong. He had to, for Gohan, and especially for ChiChi. Bulma frowned. It was so unfair - so completely unjust - that two creatures not even from this world, or any for that matter, would come and destroy it - shattering the lives and dreams of every person on this planet. It was the most heartbreaking, distressing thing to have to watch your own son grow up in a world where he was faced with death every day - who knew nothing of innocence or happiness, or how it felt to feel safe, and who had to grow up way too much faster than any child should have to. And, it was the same situation for every child living on Earth. There was no such thing as virtue or justice. Bulma shook her head from that depressing thought, and focused on the task ahead. She had no idea how she was going to break the news to ChiChi. The poor woman had already dealt with the death of her husband - and not too well, with that. Gohan was all she had left…and now he's gone too. The disturbing, sickening realisation of just what the Androids had done again hit her hard, this time at a different angle. This time, Bulma wasn't sure if ChiChi would be able to make it through. Quite obvious to the eye, and ear for that matter, she was a strong woman. But in relation to things that were out of control, she would fall and shatter like a glass being dropped on a hard floor. Bulma realised she was almost at her destination and prepared to land. Trunks looked up at her worriedly and she put an arm around him. "We have to be strong, Trunks. For ChiChi."

The rain and drizzle that had taken over the night sky earlier on had finally depleted, leaving a slight mist in the air along with a musty scent. Bulma landed her jetplane near ChiChi's small house. She hadn't been there in a long while, and the scene brought back painful memories - the finding of Goku's death from the heart virus, right outside that same house, being the main event that resurfaced in her mind. Bulma figured ChiChi must have recognised the sound of them landing, because she immediately came running out. Bulma was almost shocked at ChiChi's appearance. She seemed to be aging so rapidly. It was frightening - it reminded Bulma of the fact that the Androids had been plaguing the Earth for so long.

"Oh, Bulma, thank goodness you're here! I tried calling you at home but the communication lines are down."

Bulma didn't say a word; she immediately took the woman into a hug, confusing ChiChi. Pulling out of the embrace, ChiChi asked, "I was wondering, Bulma, have you seen my Gohan? He left home earlier today and he hasn't returned. I'm beginning to get worried."

Bulma almost smirked; knowing that ChiChi would have been worried the moment Gohan even prepared to go out. There was no time for smirking, however, as the look planted upon Bulma's face was most certainly not one of happiness. At this moment, Trunks, still with tears in his eyes, looking extremely troubled and distraught, stepped up next to his mother. ChiChi looked from Bulma to Trunks, and then again back to Bulma. Immediately, her eyes filled with worry. "Oh no! Please tell me they didn't!"

Bulma looked down. Though she knew she had to answer, the words just didn't seem to come - how do you tell a mother their only son has been murdered?

"I can't believe it, those monsters! How many homes must they destroy? Well don't worry Bulma, Trunks, you can stay here as long as you need a home", ChiChi stated, advancing to usher them inside. Bulma looked up into ChiChi's eyes, confused. She thought their home had been destroyed? Bulma sighed, preparing for the worst. "ChiChi, come with me…" Bulma let a perplexed ChiChi to the back of her jetplane, Trunks following mindlessly - head down, eyes fixed on the seemingly interesting ground. Opening the back door of her aircraft, Bulma closed her eyes as ChiChi gasped. She stood, frozen on the spot, staring at her son's motionless, unmoving body. Tears formed in her eyes but she couldn't move. "Go…Gohan…?" she choked out indistinctly.

"I'm so sorry, ChiChi…" Bulma spoke softly. ChiChi was still frozen to the spot, when slowly, she moved up to the body. Bending down next to her son, she touched his scratched, wounded face, as if to check if it was really him. "Gohan…my baby…" she stifled out, the tears blocking her vision and affecting her voice. In a split second, ChiChi collapsed over Gohan's body, breaking down into a fit of sobs and muffled cries for her son. Bulma began to cry, taking her own son into her arms and holding him tightly - her needing him as much as he needed her. ChiChi's father, the Ox King came out of the house to see what all the commotion was. The strong man almost collapsed when he saw the cause of ChiChi's pain. He sat down on the grass, staring into space, tears gathering in his eyes. He did not even attempt to console ChiChi. ChiChi cried for a long time, Bulma and Trunks letting her get it out, not interrupting. After a while, she quietened down. Her crying resulted to sharp hiccups and small sobs. Her head lay on Gohan's chest, her hand clutching his. The Ox King had stepped inside the jetplane and sat with ChiChi. He slowly stroked his grandson's hair. Bulma walked up behind ChiChi and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He…he knew he wa-was going to d-d…die today", ChiChi choked out. "Before he…he left he hugged me and…and told me that he lo-loved me. I-I should've t-tried to sto-stop him…" she trailed off, her speech devastating Bulma, who said nothing in return. "I…I want to bury him…next to his fa-father…" ChiChi stated, calming her voice, if only a little.

Bulma nodded. "Sure, ChiChi." With that, ChiChi got up. She motioned to her father to pick Gohan up, and he slowly lifted him into his arms. Although Gohan had grown into a tall, well-built young man, he was still small compared to the Ox King, and looked especially vulnerable and weak lying there in his arms.

Together and in silence, the group walked to a small clearing behind ChiChi's house. It was a place nobody but them knew about - a place of sacredness. Two tall trees surrounded and shaded the space, along with bushes holding beautiful flowers of a variety of colours. The rain and the light of the moon made the clearing appear almost creepy, the leaves of the trees swaying in the light breeze left behind by the storm. Finally, set in the lush, green grass, moist from the rain, were six gravestones, lined up perfectly. Carved in the stone on each grave was a name - the first being Goku, then a space of ground, then Piccolo, Vegeta, Yamcha, Tien and lastly, Choutzou. The last two graves were placed especially close together. When Gohan, ChiChi and Bulma had buried the fallen Z-Warriors, a depressed Gohan had made the two women leave a space between his father and Piccolo. In a heartbreaking speech that distressed Bulma and ChiChi, he had made them promise that when he died, they would bury him between the two of three people he loved most in the world, the third being his mother, of course. The two women had promised him his wish, and tonight he would have it granted. The site was almost disturbing in the fact that they seemed to be adding to it, slowly but surely. Trunks had been to the place many times with Gohan. He could remember clearly sitting with Gohan on the soft grass, listening intently to him enlighten stories of the past - the time when everybody was happy - and various accounts of what his friends would have been like if the Androids hadn't gotten to them before he could know them. There was, however, one thing that Gohan had never told him - what the space between and graves of Goku and Piccolo was for. Trunks was snapped out of his thoughts when his mother called upon him. "Trunks, you can shoot ki blasts, can't you?" Trunks nodded silently and gathered a small amount of energy into his palm. His mother signalled a space for him to aim it - right at the space of ground between Goku and Piccolo's graves, and he let it fly from his hand to the ground, the blast producing a hole big enough for Gohan. Without even having to think, he knew what that space was for. ChiChi took her son into her arms and laid him next to the hole. She bit her lip, attempting to hold back a fresh onslaught of tears, but failing and ending up letting them flow freely down her face. "Oh Gohan, what will I do without you…?" she sobbed out. The overly upsetting scene triggered tears in Bulma's eyes, as well as the Ox King's. Trunks' expression remained angry. A few minutes of pleasure and adrenaline for the Androids meant a lifetime of pain for the rest of them - and the fact that they'd done it seven times now made the rage inside Trunks' heart swell. He kept it within, however. Now was not the time to be angry. ChiChi hugged Gohan one more time before collapsing in tears next to him. Bulma approached and kneeled before Gohan. She let her tears run free and wild like a horse set out into a paddock. "Gohan… You're one of the brav-bravestvest people I know. You've been with me so…" she sniffed. "…so much throughout the years… I'll miss you s-so much. I wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish none of this would ha-have ever happened… I'm go-gonna keep working on the Time Machine, even without y-your support. I know I can change what hap…happened… I'll remember to come and t-tell you about it when I'm finished", she choked out, her speech becoming muffled. Gohan had encouraged her all the way when she had thought up the idea of building a Time Machine to warn their past selves of the evil devices that would plague the Earth. Bulma assumed it had been a source of hope for the boy, who had lost almost everybody in the horrible battle with the Androids. "P-please watch over Trunks for me, Gohan, and could you do me one favour? If you see Vegeta up there, c-can you…can you tell him that I love him…and miss him…" Bulma could say no more; she sobbed out muffled cries and let her son hold her. The Ox King picked up Gohan again and placed him inside the hole, covering him with soil. "We love you, Gohan. How I wish our tears could bring you back to us, even if it were to be for just a small moment…" he said as he finished, patting the soil slowly. ChiChi stood by the grave, letting out a loud sob. Bulma sighed sadly, walking up to ChiChi and hugging her. "Come on, ChiChi…" she said slowly, signalling to the droplets of rain drizzling down, fittingly. "Let's go inside." ChiChi didn't argue, and Bulma slowly led the broken woman inside her house. Trunks did not move from his position next to Gohan's grave. The Ox King watched him sadly for a moment - Trunks noticing this but not acknowledging it - before following the women inside. After staring for an instant at the patted ground over which Gohan was buried, Trunks walked silently, an expressionless look present on his face, to the concrete path near to the burial place. He let out a small ki blast, blasting a piece of concrete out of the path. He slowly shaped it into a headstone-looking outline and carried it over to Gohan's resting place. The rain was a little heavier, but Trunks didn't notice it dampening his hair once again, as he let a small amount of energy around his finger and began carving letters into the stone. When he had finished, he stood the stone at the head of the grave, patting the soil around it to secure it. On the stone, written in childlike handwriting were the words: 'Gohan - like an angel, you touched our lives and left an undying effect on our souls. We will always miss you'.

"You're my best friend, Gohan… You've made me what I am, and with what you've taught me I will avenge your death. One day I'll beat those Androids. I'll do it for y-you, Gohan. I p-promise…" Trunks' speech became muffled, and his salty tears mixed with the bitter rain, but he kept going. "Tell daddy I love him and wish he were here... Tell him that I'll carry on the Saiyan bloodline and honour, for him." Trunks stood. "I'll never forget you, Gohan. And whe-when I use that final ki blast to eliminate those An-Androids; I will dedicate it to you… Good-Goodbye, master…" Trunks choked out, turning away from the grave. Walking over to one of the bushes surrounding the area, Trunks picked a bright red flower - Gohan's favourite colour. Although welted from the rain, its redness still shone, like a diamond sitting on a cloth of black velvet. He placed it next to the tombstone, then turned and walked to his mother's jetplane. She was standing in the doorway, debating with the Ox King whether ChiChi would be alright on her own. He reassured her that he would be there if she needed anything, and reminded her that she needed to get her own son home. Bulma nodded tiredly. "Promise me that if she or you need anything, you'll call. The phones should be working by now", Bulma pleaded. The Ox King nodded. "Of course."

Only half-satisfied, Bulma walked toward her son. She only just now noticed how worn-out and weary he looked - his eyes red from crying and a helpless look plastered on his face. Looking into his eyes, though, she could see the sense of determination that was present in any fighter's eyes. Bulma was more scared of that determination than she was of anything else. She knew what it meant - she knew that he would take over Gohan's position and fight the Androids. Bulma emotionally embraced her son. "I love you, Trunks…" she said meaningfully. He closed his eyes, tears squeezing out and falling down his cheeks.

"I love you too mom." The two walked into the jetplane and Bulma took off. Silence shrouded the jetplane as the two flew home. An exhausted Trunks fell asleep, leaning on Bulma, halfway through the flight, the events of the day proving to be too much for him. Tears clouded Bulma's eyes once again as she put an arm around Trunks protectively. Her son was everything to her. She didn't even want to think about what would become of her if anything were to happen to him. Unfortunately though, she had to. Her nightmares of losing friends without the ability to wish them back became a reality when Vegeta and the others fell at their hands. Today was Gohan's turn, and the inevitable possibility of the same thing happening to Trunks was something she couldn't choose to ignore. Bulma pulled her son closer as she made the landing into Capsule Corporation. She took Trunks into her arms and walked into the house. She took him to his room and laid him on his bed, pushing his matted hair off of his face. "Goodnight Trunks. I love you…" she whispered. Bulma walked out of the room quietly and walked straight to her main computer - the one that the information for the Time Machine was backed onto, as well as the disk she carried everywhere with her. She loaded up the system and began her work. There was still a lot of work to be done on her newest invention. The invention that would prevent all of this from happening; that would extinguish the pain and suffering…before it even happened. She hoped.

Trunks awoke the next morning, still dressed in his clothes from yesterday. Rubbing his eyes, he quietly walked into the kitchen, expecting his mother to be there. She wasn't. Listening closely, he heard the distant, but not inaudible, sound of typing. "Mom…" he guessed softly. Trunks followed the sound of the keys clicking. He seemed it strange that they were going at a faster, more rapid pace than usual. Setting his eyes on his mother, he immediately knew something was wrong. She was hunched over the keyboard, and didn't even notice he had walked into the room. Trunks walked closer to her, making her notice his presence. She turned towards him and smiled - a smile that looked everything but genuine. Her eyes turned downcast when she saw Trunks didn't smile back. "Mom, what's wrong?" he asked her immediately. Bulma shook her head slowly, tears falling from her eyes. Trunks' deep blue eyes widened. He looked at his mother, searching her eyes for any reason. He saw nothing but a tired woman - eyes drooping and red, face fallen from sadness. His eyes pleaded hers for an answer, and she gave in and spoke.

"The Ox King called early this morning, Trunks…" she told him. Trunks didn't reply. More bad news?

"ChiChi died last night, in her sleep. He doesn't know how - he believes it was because of her broken heart. He tried to wake her up this morning and she wasn't breathing…" Bulma trailed off. Trunks lowered his head. Not again…so soon… Neither Bulma or Trunks said anything for a few moments, but he knew Bulma was still crying. He silently crept into her arms and hugged her. Bulma sniffed. "I promise you, Trunks. I will stop this from happening. We will not loose anyone else", she said, a strong determination present in her voice. "I promise…"

Trunks closed his eyes and thought to himself, 'No, mom. I will stop this from happening. I will kill those Androids. I swear it, I will get them. I promise'.

FINO

I hope you liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me (cherry_blossom1234@excite.com). Thanks for reading!

Ciao! Luv Sarah.

'Nightmares never last, one day you wake up and they're gone'