Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Silver Springs ❯ Chapter 22

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

Chapter 22

Teresa's eyes slammed shut as she saw Trunks fly at Kooler. How could this be happening? She had just found meaning in her life for the first time and now it was all at risk at being taken from her just as she had been taken from her parents. Kooler and Trunks seemed evenly matched, and as Kooler punched Trunks in the face, blood flew from his mouth. She wanted to have faith in him but the very idea that Kooler could kill him at any instant was too much for her to bear. She wanted to help; she'd give anything to help! But what could she do? Nothing but stand beside Bulma, who had resigned herself to watch her lover and son die, and wait. Tears welled in her eyes as Kooler punched Trunks again.



The fight was beginning to take its toll on Trunks. Even at level two, he and Kooler seemed evenly matched. He was fading fast and he knew that if he didn't think of something quickly he would be joining Vegeta on the ground. As he doubled over from another jab from Kooler, his gaze landed on his father, still paralyzed by the engineered virus. They locked eyes; Trunks' blue eyes clashing with the deep pits that had always marked his father's gaze. Vegeta's eyes had been unreadable since the day Trunks had met him. But today, emotion flashed in them. His eyes were heavy with worry. Not the worry that Kooler would come back and kill him, but worry that his only son would be killed in battle. ::Come on boy...you can do it.:: Trunks could almost hear the thought in his head. A small smile spread across Trunks' face and he spun around, breaking Kooler's nose with the back of his hand.

Vegeta stared up at his son. He watched the boy's determined face as blood was sent flying from Kooler's nose, raining down upon the ground like autumn leaves. The boy seemed to get his second wind, and sent Kooler into the ground with a powerful blow. He had never seen such power before. His son had ascended to a level that he had never thought possible. Now, as he lay in the dirt, he realized what an idiot he had been. His whole life had been spent trying to achieve Super Saiyan and defeat Frieza. Once he had done that, he devoted his time to conquering the universe. Yes he had trained more than he ever had before, but he had been too focused on his political victory he had ignored the call in the back of his mind. There was a level beyond Super Saiyan; he had been to distracted with King Kold, the endless wars and delegations to notice. He had been so focused on his political power; he didn't work on expanding his physical power. He had been an idiot. And now his son had reached a level of strength that he couldn't. He was proud of his son, but the pride was being clouded over by the rage and shame he felt at his predicament.

He was lying helpless on the ground; the entire kingdom had seen him fall like a novice warrior. All due to a stupid virus. And then they saw his life saved by an unknown Super Saiyan as he lay helpless. He wasn't even granted the honorable death of a warrior in battle; a mere BOY saved him. The only saving grace that he had right now in the eyes of his people is that his heir saved him. The whole kingdom must have figured it out that Trunks was his illegitimate son when he transformed. Scandal and shame would rip his kingdom apart just as he was on the brink of universal domination. His people would never accept him as their lord now that Trunks was stronger than he was. Vegeta's hands twitched in rage as the virus began to lose its effect.


Kooler doubled over as Trunks punched him in the gut. Thick crimson blood spewed from his mouth, his eyes were almost swollen shut from the broken nose he had received earlier. He was lucky that his bodily control had kept them from swelling shut thus far. He could feel that the upper hand he had for a few glorious minutes in the fight had been lost. He understood how Frieza must have felt in those final moments on Namek. He looked up at the blurry golden fighter that floated before him. It was the end, he could feel it. All his planning, all the months of work on his plan to rule the universe had been lost in less than an hour. There was nothing more he could do. The younger warrior gathered a ki ball in his fist and sent it toward the slowly dying Ice-jin. Kooler's body parts fell from the sky.


Bulma was blinded by the blast her son let loose. When she regained her sight he was standing on the battlefield, Kooler's decapitated corpse scattered around the arena. Standing there, bloody and proud after his battle, his golden hair reaching for the blue heavens, he looked like Vegeta. And now, just like Vegeta, he was a killer too. She couldn't help the small shiver that ran down her spine as she thought about it. She knew he had to do it to save Vegeta and the people of the universe from Kooler. But there was a glint in his burning eyes that even from the stands, Bulma could see. Some part of him enjoyed the battle; some part of him took pleasure in killing Kooler. His Saiyan nature couldn't be fully overcome, even after being raised on earth.

Trunks' hair fell back to its natural lavender and glided to his shoulders. In an instant he became her son again, not the ruthless warrior he had been a few seconds earlier. Teresa grabbed Bulma's hand and they began running towards Trunks.


Vegeta struggled to his feet as the virus wore off. Trunks was standing a few feet from him and he glared at the boy with daggers of rage. Turning, Trunks' face was lit with the excitement of battle and shadowed with the apprehensiveness of Vegeta's gaze.

"Are you all right?" Trunks asked, making his way over to his father by stepping over blood and body parts.

"Of course I am!" Vegeta snapped, pretending to brush the dirt off his clothing. "Why did you not inform me of your abilities?" he demanded, wasting no time with the silence that was threatening to settle over them.

"I-" he attempted to stutter out. What could he say to that?

"You have disgraced me! I should have died an honorable death at the hands of my foe like any seasoned warrior!"

"I was only trying to help."

"Help? I do not need anyone's help, let alone a little half-breed brat's who has been raised by a race if weaklings! You have disgraced me. You will leave this planet immediately, I have no use for people with no sense of honor." Vegeta growled, storming off to the palace. Trunks hung his head, trying not to let the tears show. He hadn't thought about how his father would react to someone stronger than he stepping in to save him. He had reacted on instinct, stepping in to help Vegeta when he was helpless. If he had been back on earth, and if he had stepped in to save another Z fighter, he would be a hero. But to Vegeta, he was nothing but a blow to his fragile pride.

"Trunks! Oh God! Trunks, are you ok?" Teresa yelled, her hand coming to rest on his arm. Turning to face her, he met her concerned eyes. The love and worry radiating from her gaze was not enough to heal the wounds caused by Vegeta's harsh words.

"Trunks!" Bulma said, catching up to the younger woman. She saw the tears rimming her son's eyes and the defeated stance. There was only one reason he would be acting this way, and it was confirmed as she saw a flame of hair and the back of Saiyan armor stalking towards the palace. "Vegeta..." she whispered, almost venomously.