Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Shirt Off His Back ❯ Briefs Trunks ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

---

Absofuckenlutely wonderful. I can't believe this happened! How could I have even entertained the idea of messing with drink... with drugs. What was I thinking? There's no studies on how they effect saiyajin physiology and....

And apparently they take away your ability to be strong. To protect the people you care about. Make you as weak as any untrained human.

Goten... I'm so, so very sorry! I can still hear you screaming as they beat you... raped you. That hurt me even more than what they did to me.

I don't think I'll ever be able to describe the sensation of feeling your eye torn out, dangling against your cheek. I hope I never need to. And even more, I hope that you never experienced that.

I hope they stopped. They must have, because you're not here. But I can still hear you screaming... it was my herald of death - the last thing I heard on Earth.

King Yemma wouldn't even let me even stay at the gate to wait for you. I would wait a hundred years, and would rather wait that long, to meet you at the gate - than be stuck in this stinking paradise alone. At least from the gate I might have been able to look in on you sometimes.

They say this is heaven, but it is, in reality, my hell. I don't even know how you are. If you're in the hospital dying, or drowning in your own blood. If you're pining beside my grave, or if you've forgotten me already. Knowing nothing is hell. I'd rather know something, and that be the worst, than not know - and allow my imagination to run wild with my fears.

Please still be alive, Goten. Please be okay. Please forgive me for talking you into coming to that party with me.

"I'm sorry..." I whisper to nobody in particular. I can see the other spirits keeping their distance from me, and I don't blame them. First thing I did when I got here, was blow up a mountainside.

Personally, I think it adds character to the landscape... it was too perfect. It needed a scar to remind people that 'hey, not all is this bed of perfection and peace'. Even if Heaven's supposed to be that way.

"At least if Yemma'd sent me to Hell, I'd have something to DO," I mutter to myself. Sure, being tortured for your sins throughout life isn't exactly wonderful, but it can't be any worse than what I've gone through, can it?

Fine. Call me a cynic.

I hear the sound of footsteps in the grass, stopping right before me. I can see pointed shoes that look a little too familiar for my taste. I look up, "Oh. It's you."

"Not quite the greeting I expected, but I suppose it will do," He says.

"Listen, just leave me alone," I get up and stare down at the Supreme Kai for a brief moment before turning and walking away.

"Actually, I've come to let you know about a deal someone's made on your behalf."

"Bullshit, who'd care what happens to my soul?"

"Someone who hasn't seen you since you were an infant. Come with me if you want to know more," I can hear a slight swish of sound as he raises into the air.

"Why not, not like I've got anything better to do," I tell him, raising into the air, and following him.

Imagine my surprise when I find myself on the King Kai's planet. "Listen, I don't feel like trai...ning," I look up and see a mirror image of myself walking toward us. Without a halo. He's a bit more muscular, a bit older, and a whole heck of a lot more alive than I am right now. "Who's that?"

"That, Trunks. Is an alternative future version of yourself... who once came to your timeline to warn of the cyborgs. He helped to fight against Cell, Bojack, Broly... and now he's here with a proposition for you."

"Sorry buddy, but I don't think I want whatever you've got. Now get my face out of my face," I growl at him and turn, readying myself to leave.

I feel a hand around my arm, and when I try to, I find I can't break away. "Won't you at least listen to what I have to say?" He asks me with a voice too much like my own, it's creepy.

I turn around slightly and glare at him, then at the hand he's got on my arm. When he lets go, I speak, "Fine. Make it quick, I've got a lot of being dead to do," I bite out sarcastically.

"Your body was too damaged to allow your soul to re-enter, even if we could find a set of dragonballs that was able to call it back."

"I kind of figured that."

"And currently the balance declares that Trunks Briefs must be dead."

"I kind of figured that too."

"What I'm proposing, is that you take my life, and my body, and I become the dead Trunks Briefs, and you go back to your family... and that Goten boy."

"What's the catch?" My eyes widen as I look at him. Could a person be so unselfish? I doubt it, certainly I wouldn't ever be.

"The only catch is that you go back to your family, and you take care of Goten."

"Why do you care," My eyes narrow - this is too weird.

"I don't know... I just do."

"You're not gonna just up one day and decide you don't want to be dead anymore, and want to trade places again?" Sure, I'm skeptical... I'm my parent's son.

"I have no reason to. I've never broken a promise, have you?"

"No."

"Then I promise I will remain dead."

"And this is possible?" I look over at both the Supreme Kai, and the Kai, who is being unusually quiet.

"It is," the guardian of the North galaxy assures me.

I look over to the Supreme Kai, and he nods. My gaze returns to this... other self, trying to figure out what's going on in his head. Technically, we couldn't exist in the same timeline, wouldn't that cause an unmendable dimentional rift? His eyes are steady, almost pleading with me to accept his offer.

"What's in it for you. Why do you want to do this so badly."

"I already said that I don't know."

"Bullshit. A Briefs never makes a decision for no reason. I want to know why. I can tell you want this badly enough."

"I'm doing this for Young Mother... and for Father. I'm doing this for the little blue-haired girl and... I'm doing this for Goten."

"Why?"

"Because if I don't, they will feel such intense sorrow and grief, and I don't want that. Because... because I love them."

"Loving Mom and Dad, even Bra I can understand," I see his eyes file that information away, I guess he didn't know my baby sister's name. "But why for Goten."

"Because when I found him sobbing over your body in the middle of that massacre, all I wanted to do was protect him and make him happy. And having you back will do that."

How is it possible? Is it possible for him to feel such a connection to Goten as I do... simply by sharing the same DNA? Is Goten that far gone that a complete stranger would pity him? No... I can't believe that. But the thought that this... other self, could possibly care enough for Goten, to want to give up his life, so he could be happy....

That is one thing I understand... Because I would do the same thing.

"I believe you," I look at the Supreme Kai. "Do it."

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my older self sigh in relief, a smile crossing his all too solemn features.

And I have this... uncanny feeling... that by letting him do this, I am allowing his soul to find a long sought-after peace.

And that frightens me for reasons I don't even know.

The Supreme Kai sits us next to each other, and kneels before us. He puts a hand to each of our foreheads. I watch in rapt facination as his body falls to the ground, a small white and lavendar tendril of spirit rising from his heart, then coalescing into a form similar to my own.

I'm barely given time to question what's happening when I feel myself dematerialising... and everything goes black.

---

I open my eyes, was it moments later? Days? Years? I don't know, but I open them to see a spirit that looks just like the man who once stood before me, a halo above his head. He has the form he had... but it's intangeable... and the smile on his face....

I never knew anyone could look so... happy? "Did.. did it... work?"

I bring up hands that... seem a bit larger than mine were. It seems strange. My senses are a little more keen, I can feel a little more strength. I push a hand through my hair and find it a bit long, and realise that yes... it did work, even as the Supreme Kai voices his affirmation.

I look to the man who gave me a chance at living again, at having a body, and being with my family, with Goten - and see his gaze focused above, and past me, his eyes shining.

Standing behind me, is Gohan... no... not Gohan. But... in some way I can tell it is. He's missing his left arm, and a scar rests over his left eye.

And he has that same grin. I feel like I shouldn't be there, and stand, moving away from them even as my other self runs to him, hugging him tightly, crying in happiness.

"I missed you so much, Gohan!" he cries, the other's one arm resting around his shoulders as he hugs him back.

"You grew up well," the doppleganger of Gohan replies to the Trunks from his timeline. "I'm proud of you."

This is way too surreal.

"Really?"

I watch as he kisses the top of the other me's head. "Yeah, really. C'mon, I'll show you around, and take you to see your Mom."

He looks back at me, and I look back at him. Wordless thanks pass between us, two different souls who shared the same sort of body.

And then he gave me his.

"Promise you'll go live your life, and not do anything stupid with my body, okay?" He laughs back, and I can see he truley is happy, and untroubled by his gift to Goten and me.

I chuckled, "I promise."

Maybe what they say about a gift, freely given, is true? That it makes the giver just as happy? I can see he's about to bounce to the stars as he walks along beside Other-Gohan, hanging onto his arm and laughing as they walk. He's practically glowing, he's so happy. And the man beside him, the Gohan from his world... looks just as happy, occasional friendly kicks to Trunks's ass, in place of the hair ruffling so well known of the Gohan in our world. I guess that's what missing an arm would resort you to.

I see them stop a ways away, and just barely catch their words, thanks to saiyajin hearing. I think his hearing was better than mine... probably from a lack of loud music for a greater part of his life.

"I missed you so much, Gohan... SO much!"

"I know... I missed you too, Chibi." Hn, he calls him what I call Goten - amusing.

"I'm all grown up now, you said so yourself," The other me commented - like it was a very big, and important, thing.

"I know, Chibi."

"Remember what you promised me?" I can hear a hopeful tone in his voice, and see almost a pleading look in his eye.

"Hai...I remember... Chibi-koishii."

I blink in shock for two reasons. First, the change in nickname... did he just call the other me 'lover'? Second, is he brings his one hand to cup the other me's face, and the two share a gentle kiss. I watch the other me put his arms around Other-Gohan's neck... and Other-Gohan's hand slip down to rest on his waist.

It was really creepy... but the joy I could feel radiating in their ki.... It kind of made me think of me and... 'my' Chibi.

I couldn't help but chuckle as, a moment later, I watched them fly off... hand in hand. I turned and looked to Kaibitoshin. "Take me home, I need to see Goten."

---

TBC - Please Review!