Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ From The Pages ❯ Coming To Terms With Fate ( Chapter 5 )

From The Pages

By: Nova Starlight

Chapter 5: Coming To Terms With Fate

Trunks gathered the dragonballs in record time and found an empty and quiet field in which he could summon the dragon without alerting too many people. His nervousness that had been pushed back by his desire to discover the truth behind this whole odd situation was catching up on him now that he had them all and was ready to call the Shenlong. He could only hope that no matter what he discovered, he would be able to handle it. With a vigorous shake of his head he pushed his doubts aside once again and summoned the dragon before he lost his nerve. “Great Dragon, I summon you forth to grant my wishes.”

A brilliant burst of light exploded from where the dragonballs lay on the ground. Within an instant the slightly cloudy sky became pitch black and thunder rolled loudly throughout the area. The gold light shot from the ground and extended upward to that sky, higher and higher, as it did it filled out into the shape of the great dragon; and as a single bolt of lightning shot from the sky, the light dissipated and the green scaly form of Shenlong looked down on him from above. “You have summoned me,” he bellowed. “Now tell me, what is your wish?”

Trunks took a deep breath and called out, “I wish to speak to the Supreme Kai.”

“That is a difficult wish,” The dragon responded. “If I grant it, I will not be able to return you to Earth; you will remain there in the other world.”

Trunks had expected as much. Shenlong could only grant one wish and therefore he would be transported to Otherworld, but it would take another wish to get him back. Thinking over everything that had been happening around him since his return, Goten and Vegeta's understanding of each other, the way everyone had been surprised by his return, and now this stuff about his father making a deal for his life. He needed answers, no matter what the price. “I understand,” Trunks called back with a voice he knew sounded shaky and unsure.

“So be it,” Shenlong stated. “Your wish is granted.”

Trunks squeezed his eyes shut as large plumes of smoke seemed to swirl around him and then once again he could feel the brilliant light around him, almost like it was a source of warmth. When he opened his eyes a few seconds later he was standing on the planet of the Supreme Kai and he could see Shin in the distance, and he was approaching fast. He guessed that he would need to be direct and simply tell Shin everything from the beginning.

When they were only a few feet apart he heard him ask, “Trunks, what are you doing here?” Then his eyes looked Trunks over, as he came to the top of his head, Trunks could see his shock and confusion. “Where is your halo?” he asked.

“I'm not dead,” replied Trunks. “At least I am not dead anymore.”

“How is that possible?” Shin countered.

“That's actually what I came here to ask you,” Trunks said with a sigh. He sat down in the grass and prepared to tell him as much as he knew about the current situation. He was relieved when Shin sat down on the grass as well, facing him, as if in understanding that Trunks had a lot to tell him. “A few months ago, I was returned to Earth and though I did not know how the event came to be, I did not question it because I assumed I had been wished back with the dragonballs,” he began.

“A logical assumption, all things considered,” Shin commented. “In fact, I should have probably jumped to that conclusion myself.” Then he paused and thought for another moment. “However, since you are here, explaining this to me, I wager that was not how you were brought back?”

“No,” Trunks answered. “I am still not entirely sure what transpired, but it seems that my father made a deal with someone in Otherworld. He agreed to allow his soul to be sent to Hell in exchange for my life on Earth being restored.”

“You can't be serious?” Shin insisted.

“I am,” Trunks responded with the dejection and sadness he had been, stifling off, coming into his voice.

“Such a deal is not only unorthodox, it is completely prohibited,” Shin explained. “The decision of whether a soul goes to Heaven or Hell is exclusively within my discretion, and I decided years ago during the Majin Buu incident that your father deserved his place in Heaven.”

“I understand,” Trunks admonished. “I knew that you would have no part of any deal such as this. I am also not in any way saying that I disagree with your decision. I simply believed that you should be informed and everything should be made right. That is why I gathered the Earth's dragonballs and wished myself here.”

At hearing Trunks's comments, Shin seemed to calm visibly. “I do appreciate your support but I guess that is to be expected since I would be saving your father from spending an eternity in Hell.” Then he stood up and began to dust himself off. “I assure you that all of this will be sorted out and cleared up as quickly as possibly. Everything will be back to the way it was before.”

“Which means I will be returning to Otherworld right?” Trunks asked.

“Unfortunately, yes, but that does not necessarily have to be an abrupt parting. I will return you to Earth and allow you one week to say your goodbyes to your friends and family. Then I will come and personally escort you back to Otherworld.”

“Thank you, very much,” Trunks replied. “I do appreciate your giving me this time to sort things out. I came here on a whim and no one knew of my intentions.”

“Then I am happy to give you this chance,” Shin remarked.

Suddenly, Trunks felt the same wind and smoke swirl around him again, only this time it was returning him to Earth. He closed his eyes again and when he opened them he stood in the field, in the light of a setting sun. This meant that just a few moments had passed in Otherworld but hours had passed here. He was sure that Goten would be worried about him with the way he had run off, but he needed to take care of something before he headed home. He took off into the air in the direction of Capsule Corp.

It was another dull evening at Capsule Corp. Vegeta sat around the living room waiting for his wife to leave the laboratory and get started on their dinner. He lay back on the couch and allowed his hand to smooth over his own belly marveling at the fact that he had started to gain a little weight; granted nothing too drastic but suddenly his body was looking more normal, more human. When he heard the sound of the doorbell he immediately went answer it. “It's probably just a delivery to the lab, like always,” he muttered to himself.

When he opened the door he was surprised to find himself standing face to face with the son he had started to believe he would never see again. “Trunks, what are you doing here?” he asked in amazement.

“I came to talk to you,” he replied. “Mind if I come in?” Vegeta said nothing in response, he just simply stepped out of the way and allowed Trunks enter the room. He sat down on the couch and Vegeta followed suit, but before he could ask him any questions or say anything whatsoever, Trunks began speaking. “I came here to talk to you because I found out about what happened after I died; everything that happened.”

Vegeta was once again surprised but he kept calm. He wanted to be absolutely sure of what Trunks knew before he went shooting off with explanations he may not even have to give. He wanted their relationship to be honest but even he was not sure he was totally ready to deal with the issue of the journal or his agreement with that demon. “What exactly do you assume to know?” he inquired, trying to keep his voice calm; so as not to give anything away.

“Well, I know that I was not wished back with Earth's dragonballs or Namek's. You made an agreement with someone in Otherworld, exchanging my life for your soul going to Hell when you die.”

Not even bothering to deny it, Vegeta simply asked, “Who told you?”

“Goku,” Trunks murmured softly. “He thought by telling me what happened you and I would patch things up.” Then with a laugh he said, “Don't you just hate it when that idiot is right?”

“You have no idea,” Vegeta said with a smile of his own. “So, you are here to patch things up?”

“That among other things,” he stated with a tone that was now cold and serious again. “But, first I have something to tell you, and I warn you, you are not going to like it.”

What is it?” Vegeta questioned with concern entering his voice.

“When I found out what happened I gathered the dragonballs and wished for a meeting with the Supreme Kai. I told him everything that happened and he is sorting out the entire matter right now and tracking down who made the offer. Of course that also means that I have to return to Otherworld and your soul will no longer be going to Hell when you die. Shin is coming to escort me back to Otherworld personally, one week from today.”

Vegeta was frozen in shock for just a moment and then rage and disbelief bubble to the surface and before he could stop himself he shouted, “Why in the hell would you do such a thing?!” Trunks did not respond at all, he simply sat there on the sofa staring down at his feet as if they were arresting his total attention. Vegeta leapt to his feet and began to pace the floor in front of him, unable to form his thoughts.

Finally, Trunks broke the silence saying, “Look, you earned your right to be in Heaven, and you should not have wasted it on bringing me back. Besides, that deal could have been tossed out the second the Supreme Kai realized what was going on, which could have been anytime.”

That got the words flowing from Vegeta again, “You don't know what kind of man I was before you were born, or sometimes even after. I have killed hundreds, possibly even thousands, of innocent creatures throughout the universe. The only place I earned spending an eternity in is Hell.” Then he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he continued to pace. “Though, I guess what is done, is done and there is nothing I can do about it now.”

“Yes, it is done and over with now,” Trunks whispered softly. “I will be returning to Otherworld with Shin in a week's time.” Then he stood up and stopped Vegeta's pacing by blocking his path. “Though, there is one thing I must ask you. Why you even bothered to bring me back at all? Why did you feel the need to return me to earth when the dragonballs were no longer an option?”

Vegeta was unsure of what he should say. He had believed that his actions would have spoken louder than his words that his sacrifice would have ultimately shown Trunks that he had loved him and that is why he had done whatever he could to have him brought back to Earth. The unsuccessfulness of that approach was made even clearer when he heard Trunks's next comment. “I mean let's be honest, you were never attached to me as a child, usually wanting as little to do with me as possible, and once Bra was born I may as well have not even existed.” Did Trunks still feel that way, after all of this time?

In some small way, he had been expecting this reaction since the night he had first read Trunks's journal, but he had always hoped that it would not be quite as bad as this. “I am sorry,” he started simply. “I never should have treated you the way I did and though I know there is no excuse, I can only hope you will forgive me.” Trunks seemed floored by the sentiment and once again resumed his seat on the sofa. “I would never pretend that everything you are feeling right now is unwarranted,” Vegeta continued. “But, I want you to know that I always loved you, you are my only son, and though I may have been more openly affectionate with Bra, I love you equally. My actions were not a representation of my true feelings and by the time I had realized all the mistakes I made you were all grown up and then you were gone.”

“This is strange,” Trunks said bluntly. “You seem different; everything around here has changed with everyone. There is something deeper going on here between these new emotions you are showing me and this secret thing between you and Goten, I want to know what else triggered this epiphany of yours.” Vegeta remained silent and looked down at Trunks as if he needed more convincing. “I deserve to know what is going on between you and Goten. Hell, you were not even surprised about my relationship with Goten and I thought that was a shock that would put you in the grave.”

Vegeta sighed and stood up. “Wait here, I need to get something to show you.” Then he walked out of the room and down the hallway. He had no idea what was going on but his curiosity was definitely growing by the second. Each second that ticked by on the hanging wall clock seemed to last an hour. Moments later, Vegeta returned holding what looked like a book in his hand; as he came closer Trunks recognized it as his journal, the one had been keeping off and on since childhood.

“You read my journal?!” Trunks asked in shock.

“Yes,” Vegeta mumbled as if he were slightly ashamed. “I hope you are not too upset with me but after you died I was confronted with the fact that I had just buried my son that I knew so little about. I found it while your mother and I were going through your room for clothes to bury you in and I read it on a whim.” Then he sighed and sat down on the sofa again so that he could look Trunks in the eye. “If you perceive that there is some sort of partnership between Goten and myself it is because I let Goten read it also. We both needed a way to work through our grief when you were gone and this was the only way we could think of to do it. Besides, a vengeful part of me wanted him to see how much he had hurt you when he dumped you.”

Trunks barely remembered what he had written in the journal over the years and as he flipped through the pages skimming the lines, he blushed crimson when he came to the entry about his first time with Goten. He could not help himself from mumbling, “I guess this is where you learn about my relationship with Goten.”

“Yes, it was.” Vegeta stated. “And if it makes you feel any better, the shock almost did put me in my grave.” Trunks could not stop himself from laughing and then he closed the journal and looked down at the floor again.

“I appreciate what you did for me,” he began softly. “But, it should not have been done and now that everything is being taken care of I need to go and tell Goten. You were my first stop after speaking with Shin.”

“And what about Goten?” Vegeta asked. “What do you think he will do after you have gone?”

“Hopefully, for him at least, he will find someone new to be with that will make him happy,” Trunks affirmed in a strong voice. Then he turned away hoping Vegeta would not see him wipe a tear from his eye. Then without another word, Trunks opened the door and walked out of the Capsule Corp. building with a heart both heavy with sadness and light with a newly discovered love and appreciation. This would be the last time he would walk away from this building; this was his last week on Earth. The sky was dark and he took his time in flying back to the Son household, he needed time to shore up his courage and decide what he intended to say.

 

 

To Be Continued. . .

 

Author's Notes: Okay only one chapter left and look I'm updating more often YAY! BTW I have been told by MANY people that I need a beta so if there are any volunteers out there e-mail me.