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Hope Leaves	By : pegarsus9 Category: Dragon Ball Z > General Views: 2544 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters and make no money from this story. Blah.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Hello all :D So this chapter is pretty long, because I wanted to explain several elements of the plot that were a bit of a mystery up until now, to ensure the coming chapters make sense. Please R&R and let me know if it was interesting, if it needs improvement or if anything doesn't make sense :)

THIS CHAPTER: Trunks & Goku arrive and a race to find Bulma & Bra ensues. Lennon & the prince put the last phase of their plan for revenge into action, & the final battle begins. Vegeta is unsure of whether his physical body is dead or still alive, but resolves not to go down without a fight. Will he finally be reunited with Bulma?

"Two Ravens"

...As I was walking all alone, I heard two ravens cry and moan

The one unto the other did say, Where shall we go and dine today?

Out beyond that old high dike, I know there lies a murdered knight

And no-one knows that he lies there, So we may make our dinner sweet

You may sit on his white thigh, and I'll peck out his bonny blue eyes

And with a lock of his golden hair, we'll fix our nest when it grows bare...

-Omnia

'This is it, this is the place,' Trunks announced as soon as Mount Feathertop, a picturesque mountain in a vast alpine region, came into view. Just the other day Bulma had shown him a few pictures of the national park and the vacation resort within it that was to be their holiday destination, and by the light of the moon he could identify the place easily enough.

Goku stared down warily. 'Something's wrong Trunks. I can sense several power levels close by, but they all feel very similar. I can't imagine what could be causing something that strange, but I doubt it's anything good.'

'I know, I started to pick up on it about five minutes ago. You know who's energy it feels like, don't you?'

'Yeah, it's a lot like Vegeta's. Doesn't make sense.'

'I don't know what the hell is going on down there, but my sister's in amongst it all. The first thing I'm going to do is go get her, she could be hurt. You just watch my back for a while alright? Once we find her we'll figure out what to do next,' Trunks finished, speeding off in the direction of his sister's energy before Goku had time to disagree with the hasty strategy. It was only a few minute before the little girl came into view down near the base of the mountain, running without any semblance of direction from some unseen force. It looked as though she was being chased, because every now and then her frantic steps would come to a halt and she would turn, sometimes falling and always scrambling off in another direction. As profoundly frightened as she appeared to be, all her fear seemed to fade away when her big brother landed beside her. Both the siblings stood there for a moment just staring at eachother, mouths gaping as though each could barely believe in the other's existence, but the silent shock didn't last very long. Bra threw herself at her brothers legs and he knelt down to wrap his arms around her, so tightly that it probably hurt. Never had there been a feeling of relief like this one. If his mother or Bra had been hurt or worse, it would have been his fault. How could you ever forgive yourself for something like that? Wait, his mother. They still needed to find her... fuck. Trunks tried to gently pry his sister away, who was crying miserably into his chest.

'I'm sorry I didn't listen to you sis,' he whispered into her ear shakily, trying not to cry himself. 'I'm so sorry. You were right, I was wrong, and when we get home and everything's OK, I'm gunna do everything you say for a whole month to make it up to you.'

'Really...?' she replied, looking up at him with red rimmed, swollen eyes. Seeing her this afraid and upset made his chest feel tight.

'Yeah really. Where's mum? Is she OK?'

Bra didn't answer.

'Don't say she isn't Bra. Please don't say that.'

'Mummy's still alive,' her trembling voice finally choked out. 'But only if I win. I have to win the game, but I can't find mummy, cause he's cheatin the game and all the other peoples are here helping him-'

'What game, Bra? Who's cheating, who's helping the bad man? Do you mean the guy the who looks like dad? Quick, we don't have much time, we need to find mum now,' he urged.

'Uh, Trunks?'

'What Goku?' Trunks shouted back rudely, not at all wanting to be interrupted at this critical moment.

'We've got a bit of a situation on our hands. I think you better come take a look.'

'I'm trying to figure out where my mum is, can't you handle it for minute? God damn it...' he muttered the last part under his breath.

'Well maybe, it's just that I spotted a few people and I think they're headed this way. It's kind of important.' Goku replied, unphased.

'For fu-' Trunks began as he turned around to see why he was being hassled, but was abruptly silenced by the unexpected sight before him. 'Goku, you said a few people. There's a few HUNDRED people coming towards us, there's a big difference!'

'Well I did tell you it was important. Anyway, don't freak out yet, it's probably nothing we can't handle.'

'Yeah, right. Who knows, they might just be out for a midnight stroll. Bra, are those the people who are helping the guy who looks like dad? Hurry up, answer me!'

'I don't know!' she screamed, sounding frustrated and terrified at the same time. 'They all look like daddy...'

'They what? What are you talking about?'

Bra stared back at her brother looking even more confused than he was, liquid streaming from her eyes and nose. Trunks quickly tried to clean her face with his sleeve before standing up and allowing his energy to flare so they'd all be better able to see the advancing figures in the distance. It was a decision he immediately regretted.

'What... but... what...?' he muttered, stunned by what he was seeing.

'See?' Bra exclaimed, pointing and looking up at him. 'They're all like daddy.'

'Yeah, I see that now, but HOW? What the fuck is this? Do you know where these guys came from Bra?'

Goku walked over and stood beside the siblings, staring at the many Vegeta look-a-likes that were getting closer and closer. 'You really need to watch your mouth Trunks, imagine if your mother heard you talking like that,' he chuckled. 'I'd say these guys all came from the same place as the man you were telling me about, the one who's been pretending to be your dad. Crazy huh? Don't worry though, I think we can take 'em all if it comes to it. They're not as strong as your dad, I can tell.'

'Oh sure, no problem. Should be fine. We'll just take them all out, and find my mum, and watch my sister to make sure she doesn't get hurt, all at once. It'll be the easiest thing we've ever done-'

'Calm down, we can handle this. I'll let Gohan and Piccolo know what's going on, and we'll take care of it. You go and look for your mother if you think thats best. Now I need you two to be quiet, I'm going to contact Gohan.'

'OK, I'm just gunna put an idea out there. How about we don't talk to or try to fight these guys and just IT out of here? We can get my sister to safety and then come back and sneak around till we find my mum. I think we should put off fighting as long as possible. Just saying, it might be a better plan than throwing ourselves into a crazy battle when I need all the help possible to find my mum.'

Goku looked at him with uncertainty, then looked down at Bra and layed the palm of his hand on her matted, sweat dampened hair. 'Don't worry Bra, we'll find Bulma. I promise.' Without any further warning, he grabbed Trunks' arm and they immediately found themselves at the Lookout, staring out into the black expanse of stars surrounding it. Piccolo and Mr Popo stood before them, sombre looks on their faces.

'It's a good thing you're here Goku, there's something you need to see. Come this way,' Piccolo said, seemingly ignoring Trunks and walking towards the bedrooms. When they entered the chamber, Gohan was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, looking down at Goten who appeared to have been healed of his physical injuries.

'Goten...' Trunks said slowly. 'Is he OK now?'

'No,' Gohan replied quietly. 'He isn't. Dende healed him, but for some reason he won't wake up. He's breathing, his heart is beating, and his physical reflexes are normal, but he won't respond to our presence at all. It's like he's brain dead or something. Piccolo and Dende say his soul is gone from his body, but we don't understand how it could have happened.'

'I've made contact with King Kai and King Yemma, and asked them to speak to whoever they can,' Piccolo explained. 'There's been no sign of Goten anywhere in Otherworld and no trace of him here on earth. It's like his soul just vanished-'

'Wait, maybe that's what happened to my dad...' Trunks interrupted. 'I have to go, I have to go find my mum. Bra, just stay put here OK? I'm going to find-'

'Trunks wait, you need to explain to us what you think has happened to Goten and your dad. It's very important for us to figure out how we can help them.'

'I can't stay here right now Piccolo! If we're gunna find out how to help them we need to go back down there. Goku, I'm leaving. You can explain to them what happened if you want, but I need to go now. Just make sure to catch up to me soon, I'll need all the help I can get. If we can get to the bottom of this we can help Goten. I know they're the ones who did this to him.'

'Who are they?' Gohan stood up and grabbed Trunks' arm, wanting any explanation that could help save his younger brother, but before Gohan could stop him, Trunks had pulled away, powered up quickly and took off back to where he'd come from at full speed.

'Don't go after him,' Goku advised. 'At least not yet. I better explain what's been going on to both of you. Then I'm going to need your help. There's something really fishy going on.'

(Mount Feathertop)

Some time later, Trunks was back at the mountain range, combing the area in search of the chalet his family had been staying in. He needed to find the man who'd been impersonating his father for months, or he'd never find his mother. He'd been thinking during his incredibly speedy flight back here that there was no way the fake could be the same as all those look-a-likes he and Goku had encountered earlier, because those things had power levels. The fake didn't have one at all. No matter what happened, he was going to get to the bottom of all this. Whoever was responsible was going to be slowly and carefully dissected like a science class toad. While still alive and conscious.

'That's it,' he said aloud, suddenly catching sight of the dwelling not far below him and diving through the air, landing about 200 meters away and supressing his energy. Once he'd walked over and quietly stepped inside the already open door, he slowed his breathing, not wanting to be discovered right away. An ambush would give him a much better chance of-

'There's no need to tip- toe around,' Trunks heard his father's voice echo down the hall. 'I know you're here.'

'Fuck,' he mumbled, shoulders slumping as he walked towards the sound of the voice. It wasn't much surprise that the asshole had sensed him. It would have been pretty obvious that he was heading here from all the energy he'd put out on the way, but he'd been so silent coming in... Oh well, if things went awry, Goku and Gohan would show up. They could IT here in seconds if they sensed trouble. When Trunks entered what appeared to be the dining room, his eyes narrowing as they settled on the object of his hatred.

'Good evening, Trunks. And what a lovely evening it is. What brings you here? Finally decided you wanted to join us for our holiday fun did you?'

'Fuck you, you freak. If you know what's good for you you'll tell me where my mother is. If you're as powerful as my father then I know you're stronger than me, but I'm not going to be fighting you alone. Goku and Gohan will fight with me and you know you're no match for them. So you better start talking. Where are my parents?'

'What a mouth you've got on you. Whoever taught you to speak like that? You certainly don't get it from my side of the family. I never felt the need to curse excessively. When you have a good repatoir of ways to express yourself intelligently, vulgar language becomes redundant.'

'Does your intelligent repatoir include an explanation for where my parents are? Because I'm not hearing it. And you're not my family, you piece of shit.'

'You know,' the prince continuued, unphased by Trunks' insults, 'you sound just like Goten did when we spoke the other day, albeit with a lot more profanity. Making all these accusations and demanding I take him to Vegeta, or else he'd set his brother and father onto me. You've seen what happened to Goten haven't you? What did you think of the, uh, artistic modifications I performed on him? Come on, I'm sure you've found the body by now.'

In a rapid flash of movement, he had the grinning older man pinned to the floor, but the slimy bastard didn't looked too worried about his predicament and was looking up and laughing in Trunks' face.

'Alright, alright,' the Prince said, seeming to relent. 'You win boy. I guess I'm beaten. What a shame, and after all my hard work to get where I am.'

'Stop spouting bullshit and answer me! I'm not going to let you stall for time. You should be glad that Goku and Gohan are coming. If they weren't, I'd torture you till you told me what I want to know, and then I'd send you straight to hell in a 50 seperate pieces. But they're kill joys so they won't let me do that, luckily for you,' he sneered, tightening his grip on the double's throat. Perhaps this creature wasn't as strong as his father after all, but if so, then what was with the retarded grin plastered on his face? Trunks increased the level of his power to it's full extent, transforming to make sure he had the greatest advantage possible.

'You want to know where your father is?' the Prince choked out, struggling to speak with Trunks constricting his throat. 'His soul is in another universe. You'll never be able to reach him there, not unless Lennon allows you passage through the rift. Sounds crazy but it's the truth, ask anyone around here. As for your mother's condition, well, you can see that for yourself. You interrupted the game we were playing with your sister. It seems all you children want to do is ruin my fun.'

'Either you show me proof, or you're lying. Where is my mother? Take me to her, now. And just so you know, there's a namek friend of ours with Goku and Gohan, and he can sense everything that goes on down here on earth. So don't try anything funny.'

'She's just in the next 've only to open the door behind us and you'll find her there.'

It was difficult to tell whether anything the man said was truthful. In that respect at least, this disgusting creature was similar to his father. Rather than release his hold on the man, Trunks lifted an arm and incinerated the entire wall behind which his mother supposedly lay, finding instantly that he hadn't been lied to. Bulma was sprawled out on the floor, with her face and body bloody, some of her joints bent unnaturally, and mostly naked. Her eyes were wide open and lifeless, signalling that she ws probably dead. Everything seemed to slow down, condensing itself into that single present moment, until the sight of his mother in such a horrific state was the only thing that existed. His vision began to blur into a haze of deepening red as all his senses were simultaneously overcome with rage. The frightening sound of his own voice filled the air but it felt seperate from him, an inhuman howl that didn't resemble anything a human was capable of making. Fists began to viciously pound against the body pinned under him of their own accord, driven on by all the extra energy summoned by his blinding anger. Even as bones cracked and blood spurted into the air, the prince continuued to laugh hysterically at Trunks, his cackles getting louder and louder and serving only to fuel the boy's fury, until they finally went quiet

It took a few minutes for Trunks to realise that the mocking laughter had ceased and that he was pummeling an unconscious body, allowing the intense anger to slowly drain from him. He was left feeling sick and weak, his whole body trembling uncontrollably as he stumbled towards his mother, trying to make sure his legs didn't collapse under him until he reached her side. His vision was becoming blurry again, but from tears this time as he pulled off his shirt and slipped it over Bulma's shoulders to cover her up. It was long, and at least concealed the wounds that ran from her collarbone to her mid thighs. How could that heartless son of a bitch do this to her? To Goten? It made him feel sicker and sicker as vile images filled his mind of what exactly might have been done to both of them that would have lead up to the final state they were now. Wrapping his arms around her gently, Trunks buried his head in the crook of Bulma's neck, letting a few tears slip out. They mingled with the dried blood and dirt caked on the pallor stricken skin, washing some of it away and intensifying its scent. It was almost more sickening to him than everything else that had happened.

'Mom,' he mouthed. 'Wake up...'

A pulse could still be felt, beating weakly and pathetically at her throat, but there was nothing, no other sign of life save that one thing. She might as well have been dead, just like Goten. And it was all because of his own stubborness and stupidity. Wait... Bulma was vacant and lifeless like a corpse, just like Goten, yet still breathing and alive. What if they were in the same place his father was?

'Ahem,' an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind him. The sounded scared him back to alertness and his eyes flew open, but he didn't turn his head or move a muscle, protectively tightening his grip on Bulma.

'I know this is going to sound terribly cliché, but what a touching sight.'

'Who... who are you?' Trunks questioned, still not turning around.

'I'm an old friend of your father's my boy. Aren't you going to be polite and turn around so we can have a proper introduction?'

Bulma's limp body was carefully laid down and Trunks stood, scrubbing at his eyes until they were dry, then turning to face the newcomer. What met him was a rather weak looking old man. He was short and kind of ugly, with reumy, red rimmed blue eyes that boared into you, and a strangley shaped head.

'That's much better. I'm assuming you're Trunks. Am I correct?'

'Yeah,' the boy replied warily, looking the man up and down.

'You look very much like your father did when he was young, you know that? Yes, you're just like him, except for the hair of course. I'm very pleased to meet you. My name is Lennon.'

'And what are you doing here, Lennon? Do you have something to do with all this? I'd find it hard to believe that you don't, since you just happened to show up here at this precise moment. Wait a minute, he said something about you,' Trunks pointed to the maimed, unconscious figure of the prince nearby. 'He said there was no way I could ever find my dad unless you let me pass through something, into another universe. Is that the truth?'

'Yes and no, Trunks. It's a very long story you see-'

'And what about my friend Goten and my mum? Are they in this 'rift' too? It's like they're both dead, but there bodies are still alive.'

'I beg your pardon...?' Lennon sounded and looked genuinely confused.

'So you know where they are?'

'No,' he frowned. 'I do believe somebody's been meddling in my affairs.'

'You better give me a straight answer if you don't want to end up like him,' Trunks barked out, his voice quickly becoming threatening as he pointed to the prince. With the volatile mood he was in, the young saiyan was far more dangerous than usual. 'Don't think I'm just going to trust you. Like I said, I know you're responsible for what's happened in some way otherwise you wouldn't be here. Now where are my parents and Goten old man?'

'Now now, let's not get hostile. You can't just go waltzing into a rift. Only the souls of the dead or dying may pass freely into that realm. Either that or you must change places with someone inside the rift who is physically identical to you in every way, but that is a very complicated process. If anybody else tries to enter, it could rip the fabric of this universe as we know it. It is a place entirely seperate from everything you've ever known or experienced.'

Trunks lifted his head, listening for something. He'd just sensed that a battle was going on. Goku and the others were here, and were presumably fighting those clones... It made him feel a lot more secure knowing they were close by, and could help him if anything else went wrong. This made him relax and let his guard down slightly.

'Trunks?' Lennon asked. 'Did you hear me?'

'I heard. So what are you saying? That my father's dead or near death like the others, is that why he passed through the rift?'

Lennon held up his hands. 'Before I answer anymore questions, let me give your mother something to heal her, or she'll die. There's very little time left. Here, give this to her,' he said with a blank expression, holding out a small tablet.

'Why should I trust you?' Trunks snapped, staring at the pill with disdain.

'That's up to you to decide. You can try this, an your mother may or may not die, or you can reject it, an she'll surely die. The choice is yours.'

Lennon received a steely glare from the youth as the pill was snatched from his hand. Once at his mother's side, the pill was given to her, and Trunks watched in fascination as her body began to spontaneously heal mere seconds later.

'Amazing. Just like a senzu bean,' he said to himself, curious and surprised. Had he not been so distracted by the sight of his mother's miraculous physical healing, Trunks might have heard the very faint whooshing sound of the tiny dart that was speeding towards his neck before it sunk into the soft flesh. Lennon watched with glee as the boy slumped and fell across his mother's chest.

'Bullseye,' said the prince, now sitting up and chuckling behind them with his hand still poised in the air after throwing the dart. 'You see? I told you he'd let his guard down once his friends arrived.'

'Good shot sir. You got him right in the main artery. Clever boy this one, I'll give him that. But not clever enough,' Lennon smiled wolfishly. 'And you fools can come out of the cupboards now! We need to get out of here and back to the rift. Those other saiyans have already sensed something's wrong.'

Loud cluttering noises could be heard coming from the other room, and shortly afterward, Brie and Myrrh emerged from other door.

'You owe me big for that old man,' Brie growled. 'I don't get paid enough to sit in a fucking cupboard for 2 hours!'

'God, my joints!' Myrrh complained. 'I'm stiff as a god-damn board. Why did you get the roomier cupboard Brie? You're so skinny its a surprise you don't blow out a window when there's a bit of a breeze, you didn't need the extra space!'

'Neither would you if you lost about half your weight you fat arsed-'

'Shut the hell up and get over here, both of you! And grab those two Myrrh,' Lennon motioned to Bulma and Trunks. 'Quick, I think one of them is right outside, hurry!'

Once they were all in the centre of the room, they put their arms on Lennon's shoulders as he took out some kind of electrical device. As he pushed a few buttons and they all began to fade into nothingness, Myrrh looked over at the prince.

'That was quite an act you put on, what I heard of it anyway. But why the hell did you let the kid nearly bash your skull in? Are you outta your mind? You could of died!'

'I enjoy a little bit of pain every now and then,' the prince replied cheerfully. 'Makes me feel alive. Besides I kind of owed him one, don't you think? I've really fucked things up around here.' He began to laugh, obviously finding himself very funny.

'Right... whacko,' Myrrh added under his breath, the utterance concealed by the prince's slightly manic laughter. And then they were gone, leaving the little chalet empty and quiet just moments before Gohan came bursting into the room.

(Earlier on, Inside the rift)

Ghostly whisps of fog are slowly gathering, hovering low to the frosted-over floor of the bedroom that had once been mine when I lived on this ship, so many years ago. Somehow the tiny room is stretched out for miles, its usual features now present at the center of a vast expanse of fields rather than confined by steel walls. The fields are frozen, with coats of ice sheathing the billions of blades of grass shimmering brilliantly beneath the glowing reddish-gold of sunrise. Every detail of the scene is strangely visible to me. Weak columns of morning light shine through the fog, illuminating every tiny droplet of water and washing the entire atmosphere in translucent white. I close my eyes, finding the glare painful at first, then open them again out of curiosity. Everything is so uncannily detailed, like every fibre of the world around me has just made itself apparent after having been hidden away all my life. I rise, finding the aches and pains all over my body and the terrible heaviness now gone.

Upon standing, it becomes obvious that this is some kind of out of body experience from the fact that my teenaged self is still visible, lying on the ground with two doctors on either side of him. They are desperately trying to treat the blood loss from the horrible injury I inflicted on myself earlier whilst in a state of intoxicated mental disarray, and it looks like it's no easy task. I stare down into what was my own youthful face, seeing the flickering eyelids, the alarming paleness of the skin, and all the veins becoming visible beneath it, a disgusting, upsetting sight which should thoroughly disturbed me. But it doesn't. Nothing can penetrate this feeling of calm and seperateness from what's happening to my body. I soon turn away from the dying boy, choosing to wander out into the foggy fields. The grass should also feel icy against my bare feet, but even this sensation doesn't register. It's difficult to contemplate the bizarre nature of what is going on right now. My physical body is trapped by that machine of Lennon's, keeping it hovering in the entrance to this world, while the imaginary teenaged body created by my memories is dying on the floor. My soul seems to be seperated entirely from both of those physical forms, and is currently walking through some tripped-out version of my old bedroom. Then there's also that imposter, who looks like me and is terrorising my family on earth. So there are four of me. How completely and utterly intolerable! There should be one, and only one, prince of all saiyans. What a fucking mess.

Sitting down, I try to push aside the confusion and anger enough to decifer a way out of this impossible situation. The major question is, am I dead, or am I dying? Off in the distance I can see the rift, whirling in the middle of a field of flowers. An idea hits me and I take to the air, charging towards it and upon reaching the swirling mass, diving straight in. It quickly becomes apparent that I should have slowed down as it violently sucks me in, having an extremely dizzying effect. When the world eventually stops spinning, I open my eyes... to find myself in the cave, kneeling before the machine which my physical body is strapped down to. A thousand thoughts rush into my head at once, making it nigh impossible to process anything. Do I try to rejoin with my body? Or is my body dead? If I enter back into it, will it be of any use to me? It's still hooked up to the machine, but Lennon isn't here... but the memory was still occuring back inside the rift, which means that computer over there must still be controlling my mind in it's absence. And even if I could free myself from that machine, once I exited the cave, there would be two of me on earth, and God only knows what could happen.

Raising my hands to grip the sides of my head, I scream out in frustration. There has to be a fucking way out of this horseshit! Practically blind with rage, I get back up and throw myself into the rift again, which looks like a wavering, transparent mass of air from this end. I'm only vaguely aware of flying towards the bedroom at the centre of the fields as I curse wildly at everything in this god forsaken, fucking madhouse. My mind is a seething, scrambled mass of every different kind of negative emotion in existence, and the feeling of being about to snap is palpable. It's even worse than that crucial moment during my first fight with Kakarott, when I finally realised he was stronger than me as my gallic gun was overpowered. There is no doubt about it, it's going to happen. I am officialy going off the deep end with no hope of return if a way out of this doesn't present itself to me in the next three seconds. Three, two, one.

I close my eyes, almost expecting some kind of physical embodiment of my sanity departing from me for good, but then I open them again, sensing something. Down there, sitting nearby my teenaged body, is Bulma. I blink, trying to figure out if I'm dreaming, or if this is a result of my impending madness. As I venture closer, I see that she's staring over at the younger me and crying. There's no way this could be a product of my mind, because I'd have to be in my body to affect that kind of change. And if it isn't a delusion, then that means...

'What are you blubbering about woman?' I ask quietly as I walk up behind her. She spins around in surprise, falling back on her rump and the palms of her hands. Her eyes grow so wide it hurts to look at them.

'Vegeta?' she breaths, her voice thick with tears as she pinches herself vigorously on the cheek, probably to assure herself that this is real. How like her. 'Is that you? Are you really here? I'm not imagining this am I?'

'No, I don't think you are. But you do have a ridiculous imagination, so it's hard to say for sure.'

Still staring at me with a mix of fear, wonder and happiness, Bulma gets up and launches herself at me, clinging with a strength I would never have dreamed she had, and for the first time since we met, I don't push her away within the first few seconds. There are all soughts of incomprehensible words coming out of her mouth, each one distorted by her hysterical crying. Normally I can't stand displays like this, but right now I don't care. I don't care why she's here, or how she got here, all that matters is that her presence is real. Somehow I manage to get some words of my own out, though they sound far away.

'I can't understand a word you're saying, silly girl.'

'Shut up you jerk,' she sobs, weakly slapping my chest and burying her face in it at the same time. 'All this time you've been gone, you don't know, you don't know what happened-'

'Shh,' I say, covering her mouth with my hand gently. 'I know what happened. You don't need to say anything else. Just be still.'

My request is heeded, much to my astonishment. For a long time she's silent, save for her sniffling. The quiet stretches out for what feels like years, relief and some other nameless feeling distorting time like it's made of clay. At some point her hands must have found mine, because their softness and warmth is seeping into my palms. I look down at them, needing further convincing that this is real, which leads me to notice how both of us look slightly transparent. We're dying.

'Is that you, on the ground?' she finally asks me, staring up into my eyes and searching for the honesty that has alluded her for so many years, that I never chose to give her. 'That boy, is it you?'

I breath in deeply, looking away from her. 'Yes, it is. Do you remember when I told you how I got that scar on my wrist?'

She nods, lifting my hand to look at it, tracing it with her figers. 'You told me it was a battle scar.'

'Yes, that's what I told you, but it was a lie. The truth is that I did it to myself.'

She won't look at me, but I can see the crystalline sparkling of the fresh tears rolling off her cheeks as the morning light washes her face in warm colours.

'I lied about a lot things Bulma. Sometimes you become so familiar with lying that you almost forget what the truth is.' I try to keep the resentment out of my voice but a little bit creeps in anyway. 'You humans, you don't make sense to me at all. The way you're always getting so involved with one another, the way you touch eachother and hold eachother, even the way you speak to eachother, laying all your weaknesses out on the table to be exploited, it makes my head ache! It's like you want to know everything about eachother, no matter how horrible that knowledge might be. That just seemed like lunacy to me, until now, when I realised that there was someone with you all this time whilst I was gone, someone who looked like me but wasn't me. You and Trunks couldn't even tell the difference-

She stops me mid sentence with the harrowing look in her eyes.

'Don't you dare,' she whispers. 'Don't you dare try to turn this around on me Vegeta. I've spent nearly 20 years trying my hardest to know you. I stayed through all of it. Through your moods, your silences, your secrecy, through the whole Majin incident, and all your problems that you never, ever let me fucking help you with. Twenty years and I still couldn't make you trust me, I just had to sit there and watch you keep everything shut up inside, and you kept on doing it even when you could see that it hurt me and your children because your pride was more important. Did you care? I don't know, you never show it, so how would I know? It's like you think that once you admit to needing help you'll suddenly be down on the same level with us pitiful humans and all our human weaknesses, like 'emotions' and 'compassion' and 'understanding'-'

'If you'd stop running your damned mouth for a moment and let me finish, I was going to say that it's my fault. If you don't know me, it noone's fault but mine. There, I've said it. I can see now that you were always right. It was my goal to forget the things about myself and my past that were uncomfortable to acknowledge, but I see now that I should have stopped trying to forget and just told you what you wanted to hear,' I sigh, choosing the difficult words carefully. 'All of us, no matter what race we come from, are made up of the here and now, the present. But we're also the future, and the past. My memories of the past were so much a part of who I was that when I tried to erase them, it was like destroying parts of myself, bit by bit. Except the pieces were never really destroyed, I only thought they were. In reality they were just seperating themselves from me temporarily, and hovering around like dispossessed spirits that would find their way into my dreams and every other part of my life, when ever they got the chance. They're like having abandoned animals, waiting behind every door or corner and screaming at me to let them back in. Fuck, I'm not even making sense anymore.'

Bulma shakes her head furiously. 'No, you are! You're making perfect sense, I swear!'

The faintest hint of a smile touches my lips. 'Why? Because I said you were right? Did you even hear anything after that?'

'Oh boy, if I had a tape recorder right now, you'd be hearing that confession every time we had an argument until the day we die.'

'I don't doubt that. Bitch.'

That insult earns me a genuine grin, which quickly fades away into sadness. 'I didn't mean everything I said.'

'Well you should have, because it's true. You should be pleased with yourself anyway. This is perhaps the second time you've been right out of all the disputes we've ever had. Third, if I'm generous. It's practically cause for celebration.'

'Why do you always have to make stupid jokes in painful situations like this?'

'Who said it was a joke? I keep very detailed mental records of these matters, I know-'

'Alright, change of subject,' she huffs. 'What are we supposed to do now? I think Trunks is in trouble, but I don't know how we're supposed to help him.'

'So he's alive? And Bra?' I say cautiously, not wanting to get my hopes up.

'Trunks and Bra are OK at the moment. Before I was brought here, I seperated from my body and saw them at the Lookout. It was so weird being out of my body, like flying. Piccolo and Mr Popo were there, but so were Goku and Gohan, and Goten too, but he looked... I think he was dead,' her voice breaks again and she covers her eyes with strained, white fingers.

'No, he isn't. Listen to me Bulma. Goten's alive. He's here, just as you are. Who was it that brought you here? Was it a man with white hair and a lab coat?'

'Yeah. Yeah it was. He practically saved my life. The other you was about to kill me, had a knife to my throat and everything, and then there was this beautiful light which distracted him while I left my body. The bastard left after that, and it was just me and the guy who saved me. He said I should wait here with you until my body is out of harm's way and it's safe to go back to it. Even though I wanted to stay close to Bra, it's not like I'd be any good to her if I was dead. So I came here to help you-'

'But look at you!' I shout, now getting angry. 'You're body on earth is dying. Look, look at yourself. It's obvious that you're dying just like I am. He left you here so you'd be trapped if your body dies. At least if you go back to your body and die on earth, you can be wished back to life with the dragonballs. But if you die here, then what will happen to you? Your body is already disappearing, God only knows what's going to happen next!'

'No, we don't know what will happen, but I think we should take our chances. I don't know why, but I trust the guy who helped me Vegeta. It may sound crazy, but I feel like I know him, or like I did once, maybe in another life. Who knows? All I really know is that two heads are better than one, and with my brilliant mind in the mix we have a much better chance of figuring out a way for both of us to survive this.'

I roll my eyes. 'Where would anyone be without your extraordinary genius, oh goddess amoung mortals?'

'Oh hush you! Just help me think of a plan.'

I motion towards the rift in the distance. 'Before you try to devise anything, you need to see this.'

She climbs onto my back so I can fly her over there. Once we've passed through the rift and are back in the cave, I show her what's inside.

'Hmm, I didn't really see much when I came through here the first time. It was all a bit of a blur.' Bulma's gaze lingers on the bed where my physical body is strapped down, slowly taking in the sight of all the wires disappearing into my hair and penetrating many places all over my body as if I'm some kind of electrical device.

'So this is where you've been these past few months. What does this machine do?' she points to the computer and machinery that all the wires are hooked up to. 'Is it supressing your power?'

'The device controls my mind. It somehow activates old memories, through those wires stuck in my skin all over my body, especially the ones on my scalp. Something to do with signals, from my brain to my body. At least I think that's what the freak who imprisoned me here said. When I'm inside the universe beyond the rift, the things I'm remembering become real. Everything you think when you're in that place becomes real.'

'This is absolutely ingenius,' she whispers. 'I can't believe somebody could make this kind of technology a reality. You'd have to understand every last detail of brain function to even dream of something like this. To know how to activate individual memories, and to have complete control your neural signals like this, not to mention that this device also seems to have opened a portal to a universe we've never even known about! It's like the Matrix or something, but better, because the world on the other side where your thoughts become a reality isn't computerised, it's a real place. This level of scientific intelligence is impossible to comprehend Vegeta, it's just-'

'It's fucking lunacy, that's what it is! There are other, less insane ways of getting information you want out of people, like torture for instance. But this? What kind of raving mad man goes to these lengths- I don't even want to speak about it.'

'Alright alright, I'm sorry. Listen, your body's here, why don't you just rejoin it?'

'Because this body is dying. Not only that, but supposedly if I want to return to earth, that look-a-like has to switch places with me. The doctor seems to think it would be too dangerous for me to step back into our universe while the other me is still around, something about the law of conservation. It makes sense, even though I don't trust the doctor. Lennon must have had a logical reason for creating a force as dangerous and uncontrollable as that maniac who tried to kill you, and the most plausible is that he couldn't send me through the rift without creating some kind of substitute to take my place on earth. When Lennon sent me through the first time using this machine, I watched that twin-like being rise out of my body.'

'Amazing. So you need to switch places huh? Well, all we have to do is strap that evil twin of yours down to this bed and switch you round, right?'

'What do you mean, that's ALL we have to do? How the fuck do you propose we do that? That crazy son of a bitch Lennon is the only one who can operate this machine here. You're basically a ghost at the moment so you can't figure the thing out. If there's a way out of this mess I can't see it,' I practically spit my words out, finding that the situation to be more and more impossible the more I think about it. 'Damn it all to hell! I'm going to be stuck in that blasted funny farm of a world forever.'

Bulma stalks over to me and grabs my chin with her slender fingers, gripping tightly. 'Stop it,' she orders, a look of hell-bent determination in her eyes. It's a look I know well, and it means that the wheels in her often muddled but also unfathomably brilliant mind are turning. 'Just stop. We're not going to lose hope now, do you hear me Mr?' Her tone softens a great deal as she continues. 'Once hope leaves, what else do you have?'

Both her words and her expression silence me. There's no clever way to argue with that one.

'Thankyou for listening to me Vegeta. Now, I'm going to observe this machinery here the best I can until this Lennon guy comes back with the look-a-like. You just wait and see if I can't figure it out, even if I am a ghost right now.' She flashes me a devilish grin that returns to her a youthful spark. 'Not to fear, my prince. I've got a plan.'

In some distant part of the rift far from where Vegeta and Bulma were, Goten was walking around in circles. The tunnel like hallways of the strange spaceship he was stuck on didn't seem to go anywhere, to lead any place, but it didn't matter. He was walking aimlessly, getting lost just to get away. The further he could get from the things he'd been seeing and hearing flashes of, the better. None of it made sense to him, not the things he was running from, not this day or this entire month, none of it. It was all a crazy, frightening mess. He wasn't going to leave this place, just find somewhere less terrifying than back there. No matter how much Goten wanted to escape, there were no intention of leaving Vegeta entirely alone here.

Vegeta. Had it really happened, everything he remembered from the last few hours? More importantly, did they really do that? The more he thought about it, the more impossible and unreal it seemed. But if it was just some weird dream his brain had made up because of stress or something, then why didn't Vegeta deny that they'd done it when Goten brought it up later? Perhaps it was something Vegeta accidentally dreamed of, and because everything that happened in this world came from Vegeta's mind, it actually happened for real. It's not that he regretted it or anything, it was just... really really weird and unexpected. At least he didn't think he regretted it, until he thought about the implications for people other than himself. Like Trunks. Shit. Trunks would never speak to him again if he found out. Bulma would want to kill him. His mum would want to kill Vegeta. Gohan would think it was disgusting. Goku wouldn't care of course, probably just cock his head, say something dumb and get back to what he was doing. It felt like there was someone he was forgetting. A sickening. sinking feeling overpowered his stomach when the penny dropped.

...fuck. Valese. His GIRLFRIEND. It was surprising how much of an idiot he was, too think she was the last person who came to mind. It was inevitable, he had to tell her and break up with her. You just couldn't lie about that stuff to girlfriends, that would be dishonest and mean and horrible, and he wasn't like that. Except for when he cheated on her, that was kind of horrible of him, but, like, they were practically going to break up anyway. They'd been fighting a lot, and funnily enough, the thing that they'd been fighting about was sex. Specifically, Valese didn't like doing it with him cause she said he was 'too rough and did creepy things', and he didn't like fucking her because she was always whining and complaining, saying shit like 'slow down, it hurts!' or 'don't bite me there, what are you a dog?'. It was so boring and annoying, it drove him nuts how she never wanted to do anything fun. Just because he didn't want it to be all slow and romantic (uhhg), she called him names and said he was a freak.

Its not like he didn't wish he was normal, he just couldn't help it, and after what happened with Vegeta, the realisation had dawned on him that it had something to do with being saiyan. It all added up now, cause Trunks was the same, often saying that the only times he'd thoroughly enjoyed sex was when there was lots of biting and scratching and general roughness. That was why he liked that trashy new girlfriend so much, cause apparently she was the only one who could 'handle' him. Now that totally made sense to him. As wrong as it technically was, what happened today had been the best thing he'd ever felt in his life. But if it all came from something Vegeta dreamed, Goten pondered, curious and slightly disturbed, then does that mean he normally dreams things like that about me? Or thinks things like that? Now that's just a whole other kind of odd...

Goten was suddenly jolted from his confused thoughts by the feeling of another presence lingering very close by. Before long, the atmosphere began to change into a partially decaying, wild garden, and the strange man who'd bought him here began to materialise before his eyes.

'You,' he stammered warily. 'Vegeta said I shouldn't trust you and that you were helping the enemies. I nearly died in here before, did you know that? How do I know you didn't mean for all this for happen?'

'You don't. Things will go their way, and not one of us knows which way that will be until we see them getting smaller in the distance, having already passed us by. We can only open the doors for our fates to pass through, or try to curve their path and lead them in another direction. I came here to lead you out. Your physical body is healed and no longer in any danger. You must return to yourself now if you wish to help your brother and father, who need your aid.'

'Why should I trust you? I don't know anything about you, and neither does Vegeta. How can you expect us to believe you when we don't even know who you are? You know what, forget about it. I'm not leaving Vegeta alone. This place is hell, no one should be left alone here. He won't survive.'

'And neither will you. If Trunks defeats the imposter who tried to kill you, then Lennon, whom he works for, will have no one to defend him. If he dies, the rifts he's been forcibly keeping open will close, leaving you trapped here forever. My goal is to stop Lennon from using the dangerous knowledge he has now acquired, regardless of the consequences for you and Vegeta. To stop him, I'm going to have to do something forbidden. I might cease to exist. Please understand that there is no time, Goten. Leave now while you have the chance. Once my work is done I will not return again to help you, and even if I did there'd be no hope for the Vegeta you know. Leave now, and save yourself.'

The boy's expression only grew harder with determination as the doctor spoke.

'You lied to me. You knew you couldn't save Vegeta, but you tricked me. And what is this information that Lennon found in Vegeta's memories that's so dangerous anyway?'

'You aren't allowed to know Goten. No one is meant to know. I tricked you because I wanted to keep you safe from death, and hoped that your presence might keep Vegeta alive a little longer. It seems wrong for even one person to die because of Lennon's crimes, yet now I see the inevitability.'

'So if the look-a-like dies, does that mean this Vegeta dies too?'

'No. Vegeta is the source used to create the imposter, a complete being containing everything that makes up who he is as well as what is within that monster. Because of this he will not die if the imposter dies, but if Vegeta dies, the imposter will too because he cannot exist without his original source. But none of that matters. It would be impossible to set things up so the two would switch places, returning Vegeta to earth. We'd have to force Lennon to do it, and I don't see that happening.'

'Now you listen here whoever you are,' Goten replied stubbornly, sounding and looking a lot like Chi Chi as he put his hand on his hips. 'For one thing, everything you just said sounds like bullshit and you're dodging all my questions. For another thing, if there's one good lesson my dad taught me it's that you have to risk your life for your friends sometimes. If you do the right thing, then everything will turn out OK in the end. So that's what I'm going to do.'

The doctor sighed knowingly, turning his heel and beginning to walk away. His body began to change into something reddish gold and brown, which turned out to be autumn leaves. They spiralled high into the air with a gust of wind, getting carried further and further away, but the doctor's voice could still be heard. 'As you wish. Farewell, Goten. I'll try to come back for you, but if not, then I hope that you and Vegeta will find another way back to earth. Anything is possible, after all.'

The unkempt garden which had appeared with the doctor also dissapeared as the leaves got smaller and smaller off in the distance, leaving Goten surrounded by the walls of the space ship once more. He stared thoughtfully at the hallway he'd come from and began to walk back to where he came from, deciding that it was time to go find his friend regardless of whether or Vegeta wanted him to see what was occuring in his memories or not. They'd find a way out of this mess somehow, with or without help from that stupid spirit, or doctor, or whatever the hell he was. This thought suddenly made Goten feel like he was in vastly better spirits than any time in the past month.

'Turning into leaves, what a stupid trick,' Goten mused to himself. 'As if I need some lame magician to get me out of here, I'm a saiyan.' He rolled his eyes, laughing at how easily the doctor thought they'd be trapped here as he walked.

(Back on earth)

Lennon's group rematerialised amidst the ambiguous atmosphere of the place where earth and the world beyond the rift met, a cave containing both earth and sky. Myrrh dumped the unconscious Bulma and Trunks on the floor, whilst the prince turned to stare at the other unconscious body hooked up to the machine in the centre of the cave. It looked just like his own except for the amount of wounds it was riddled with, the worst one being on the left wrist which hung limply over the bed. It had bled so much that a pool of gore had puddled on the floor below it. As cold and heartless as he was, the sight made the prince shudder at the memories it started to conjure up.

'Well,' Lennon said with utmost seriousness. 'Say farewell to him sir. I trust you know he's dying, and when he does he'll be permanently trapped in the rift, never to return, which means you will take his place in this universe for good. Are you pleased?'

'Of course I am. Good riddance to him. He shan't be missed.'

'Especially not with these folks gone,' Lennon said slyly, looking over at Trunks and Bulma.

Brie sat down with her back against the wall of the cave and stared quizzically at her employer.

'Why did you heal the old bag anyway?' she questioned, nodding her head at Bulma. 'I thought we wanted her dead. Didn't we?'

'To distract her son, why else? And don't worry, she'll die eventually. I'll leave her body to die in this cave, so she can slowly rot away until there's nothing left but her soul, permanently trapped in the rift.'

'Aww, how romantic,' Brie cooed in jest. 'Vegeta an 'er can rot away together. What about the kid?'

'Don't worry about him. I doubt he'll ever recover from the dose of tranquilisers he just got. Now all of you listen carefully. Something has gone terribly wrong. Sir, you told me you disposed of Goten, remember?' Lennon said methodically, addressing the prince

'Yes-'

'Well he isn't dead. I just found out from Trunks. It would appear that Goten managed to seperate from his physical body and enter the rift. Bulma did the same thing a very short while ago, and unless someone lead them through the passage, it is impossible. Because of this new development, we need to get off this planet very fast. Somebody or something is meddling in our affairs and we could be in serious danger.'

'I told you!' Myrrh pointed accusingly at Lennon. 'I told you someone was sneaking around here, but did you listen? There were things moved, things falling down, but you thought it was me. Too confident as always Lennon. Have you at least got the information we need, for the SS?'

'Everything we need and more. We're done here, we can leave. Still, what's happened here isn't logical. I should have sensed it if there was someone else here trying to gain passage through the rift.'

'Wait,' the prince said. 'I do recall that when I was about to finish Goten off, there was an extremely bright light, and I couldn't see what I was doing. For a while after that, I don't remember exactly what happened, but I seem to remember watching myself bury the boy's body in a hole. Then I heard the his father and brother approaching so I got out of there quickly, figuring he'd die soon anyway. The same thing happened earlier with Bulma, the bright light I mean. I think I left the room because my eyes hurt, but again I can't quite remember what went on. Then I found her like that.'

'Strange,' Lennon muttered. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Because I didn't really- I don't know, it sought of slipped from my memory as soon as it happened. It just suddenly popped into my head when you told me Goten wasn't dead, and that Bulma was in the rift.'

'Sounds like your memory was tinkered with. Not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.'

Brie's eyes shifted back and forth nervously. 'That's bloody creepy. I agree with Lennon, let's leave earth. What if that thing tries to fuck with our minds or pull us into the rift? It could be some spirit that's angry about you tresspassing into its world and wants to get revenge on us. What if-'

'Alright, that's enough talk. Let's go,' Lennon urged.

'What about the clones?'

'Forget them, we'll send someone for them, if any survive. There's plenty of them, they're expendable. I've activated the ship, it's buried just beneath here. Once its dug itself out, we're getting on.'

'Now wait just a minute Lennon,' the prince spoke up, suspicion in his voice. 'We still have business here. Neither Vegeta, his family, nor any of the other saiyans are dead, which was a large factor in why you came to this mudball in the first place. It's also a large factor in why I'm here, bothering to help you, and now with barely any explanation, investigation, or certainty, you just want us to leave? How do you know for certain Bulma and Goten entered the rift? What do you know that you aren't telling us?'

'Please, sir-' Lennon began in that tone of voice he always used when trying to talk his way out of a sticky situation, but he was interrupted by the sound of Brie gasping.

'There's someone else in here,' she whispered, visible goosebumps breaking out all over her skin. Her voice continuued to rise in pitch and volume as her panic intensified. 'There's something breathing on my neck... fuck, what is it, what's there! Can any of you see what it is from where you're standing? What is it!'

There was a strange clicking sound coming from the built in entrance to the cave, and the light which indicated whether the door was locked or unlocked went dim, right before it began to crack. Lennon raced to the door and began a desperate attempt to open it, first electronically using his small hand held computer, and then physically, but it wouldn't budge.

'Damn it all to hell!' he shouted. 'There's nobody here, help me you imbeciles!'

The only one who didn't obey the command was Brie, who stood behind the three men as they tried to get the door open. She'd fallen silent and he limbs was now stiff and eerily still, as though she were transfixed by something. Slowly she lifted her head to stare at the ceiling and smiled.

'Brie!' Myrrh replied, turning around and noticing her strange stance and uncharacteristic expression. 'What the hell are you-' he stopped, watching in bewilderment as the look of admiration in her eyes twisted into an agonised mask of sheer horror and she began to scream. The sound was so loud that they all had to cover their ears as she continuued to scream wordlessly, her body starting to go into spasms. When she finally stopped shrieking, her neck slackened and her head hung heavily on her shoulders. Myrrh lunged forward to see what was wrong with her, but Lennon grabbed his arm from behind and dragged him backwards.

'Don't. There's nothing you can do for her now. Let's just leave.'

'What are you saying? What's happened to her?'

Though Brie's head remained bowed, she began to speak, but in a much deeper voice than before. Her usual accent was also absent. 'Leaving so soon, old friend?' she asked.

'Brie?' Myrrh asked nervously. 'You alright?'

Lennon was staring at the woman in front of them, his eyes filling with hateful venom as he abandoned his efforts to open the door and walked towards Brie, grabbing her by the neck. His eyes widened at the feel of her skin, as cold as death. She looked normal save for one thing- her eyes, previously deep green, were now piercingly pale. Brie's shoulders began to shake with silent laughter as a dangerous grin spread across her face and eyes that were now foreign twinkled in a way that was all too familiar to him. Each time she exhaled, her breath was visible on the air.

'I'm hard pressed to see what you find so funny, unless it's your own stupidity. To think you'd follow me across the galaxy. How very like you to come this far just to damn yourself to hell by possessing the body of a mortal. Hasn't death done anything to correct your insanity?'

'Who knows? Has life done nothing to correct yours?' The doctor, masked by the face of the body he'd possessed, continuued to smile unnervingly.

The prince growled angrily behind them, highly displeased that Lennon seemed to have kept some fundamental information from him- the fact that they had been followed for an extended period by some creature that could possess the bodies of others. 'State your name and your business here,' he demanded. 'If you stop whatever it is you're doing to prevent us opening this door, I may just let you live.'

'I cannot speak my name. Neither the living nor the dead can speak my name. My only quarrel is with this old snake before me, but if you insist on helping him escape and destroy countless civilisations with the knowledge he now has, then you will die with him.'

'You can't keep me trapped here forever, loose-minded fool,' Lennon cut in. 'You won't last long in that body. Vegeta will send you straight back to hell where you came from.'

'I will go to the darkest hell and beyond. It makes no matter to me, so long as I take you with me. I don't care if we take the entire planet with us, you will not leave alive. And by the way, Vegeta is dying. There is barely strength in him to escape this place, because if there was I would never be able to prevent him from opening that door. The two of you, yes, but not him. Tell me saiyan, did you really believe you could go on living if the other part of you died? You must have left most of your mind with him,' the doctor pointed to the real Vegeta strapped down to the bed behind them as he addressed the prince. 'But the most perplexing thing to me is that you trusted Lennon.'

'Don't listen to him,' Lennon shouted. 'They've got seperate bodies, they aren't dependent on eachother anymore-'

'I honestly believe that if the truth were ever to find its way out of your vile mouth again, your tongue would fall out from shock. Please, you have to realise that he's lying Vegeta. Think of the weakness you're feeling and the fact that you couldn't defend yourself against Trunks. Isn't it obvious? Don't you remember anything Lennon did to you all those years ago when you were still a child? Why would he suddenly find favour in you now?'

The prince snarled at the mysterious being addressing him, darks eyes brimming with mistrust and denial. 'You lie! I know nothing of what you're saying!' With lightening speed the prince charged at the doctor, aiming to destroy him with a single blow, but just as his hand moved to strike, his entire body was paralysed with pain. He was left frozen in the air and struggling to even blink. Myrrh did nothing to help, instead shrinking back against the entrance in a cowardly manner.

'Don't worry sir, he can't keep that up for long, his powers are limited,' Lennon said confidently, holding some sought of control behind his back and trying to discretely push the buttons. He was secretly trying to command his machine to inject some healing serum into Vegeta, though he cursed the fact he had to do it. What the doctor claimed was of course true; if the real Vegeta died, so did this one, but he was going to need the double to be stronger in order to fight the powerful spirit threatening him. You've cheated death once again saiyan, he thought to himself bitterly. But not for long, you filthy animal. Just you wait...

As Vegeta's wounds were partially healed (something which only Lennon knew was occuring), his counterpart began to show signs of breaking the unusual bonds the doctor had on him. 'I'll destroy you, demon-' he said through gritted teeth as he willed himself to break free. Meanwhile, Trunks was stirring in the corner, dreams vivid in his slowly awakening mind. As the doctor tried to contain the prince, he was also communicating silently with the young saiyan, trying desperately to rouse him from his sleep and gain the help he desperately needed. Trunks, still trapped in unconsciousness, was dreaming of being face to face with a middle aged man, whose startlingly light eyes were staring at him intently as he spoke without a voice.

You have to wake up, saiyan. You have to find the strength to fight the imposter who has taken over your father's life and destroyed your family. But remember, the old man who healed your mother is the one who is really responsible for all this. It won't be easy, but you mustn't let him escape. If you do, earth and many other worlds will be doomed for sure. You are a warrior and a saiyan, now wake up and fight!

Much to Trunks' surprise, both his mother and father appeared before him as well. Vegeta was the first to speak.

'Listen son. Get up and fight, now's not the time to be sleeping. You may think you can't win against a force that resembles me, but I know you can do it. You're stronger than you think.'

'Yeah, we believe in you hun! Get up and show that fake who's boss!' Bulma added excitedly. Then the three apparitions disappeared. Trunks began to hear many voices calling to him in his vision then, all repeating what this man was saying, chanting, screaming, urging him to rise up, to awaken, to fight for them. He watched millions of bleeding faces and hollow eyes emerge from the darkness below him and fix on him intently, pleading.

Will you help us? They questioned over the already deafening chants. Save our souls, before we join the ranks of the dead.

Hands began to emerge from their gaping, torn mouths, struggling toward him and clawing at his skin. The sight was hideous. Save us or join us, they wailed, pulling him downwards into the black abyss. Save us or die.

His heart began to race with fear, furiously pumping the blood around his body dispelling the drugs in his system faster and faster with every passing second, essentially sobering him up. Choking from the pressure of the coarse fingers hooking themselves around his neck, Trunk's eyes flew open and he began to claw away at them, only to realise that they were gone and he was in an unknown place. The people there, however, were familiar. There was his mother, the old man from before, Brie and the fat guy. There was the double, floating in the air for some reason, and over in the corner of the room, strapped down to a bed, was...

'Father!' he cried, standing up and making everyone in the room turn their heads towards him in shock. Brie was craning her neck to look at him as well, and Trunks looked back at her in animosity, until he saw her eyes, undeniably changed to be like the man's from the dream. Instantly he knew it wasn't her, which was lucky for the lying bitch, cause he was going rip her fucking heart out as soon as he got the chance.

I will be here to help you fight, doing whatever I can. The doctor said to him silently. Your parents and your friend are here too, even though you cannot see them right now. We have faith in you, regardless of what happens. You're a true saiyan, powerful just like your father. Do not fail.

Trunks didn't realise just how true this was. Goten and his parents were indeed present inside the cave with him. Their spirit-like forms were waiting in suspense to see what would happen, whilst Bulma attempted to put her plan into action, her last ditch effort to bring Vegeta back to earth where he belonged.

Lennon, who's eyes were darting wildly between Trunks, the prince, and the doctor, began to speak to Myrrh in his own tongue. 'Alright, nows our chance. We can escape and leave these three here to rip each other to shreds, they're distracted so there's probably nothing barring us from opening the entrance now-'

'But the kid. How the hell is he awake anyway? I thought that dart would be almost enough to finish him-'

'Is there something you guys wanna share with class back there?' Trunks said calmly, advancing towards the alien pair. Their language made no sense, but it was pretty obvious what they were planning from the way the fatty was stupidly staring at the door. 'You guys don't wanna leave do you? Please, stay! We're gunna party all night long, and you guys are gunna watch,' he spat, lifting a palm and channeling a large amount of ki into the entrance and walls, fortifying them with renewed strength to make sure the slimy bastards couldn't escape.

'I have to say I concur with the boy. You two aren't going anywhere without me. I need you to get off this useless planet, so I can't have you running off with the ship. You will wait until I have dealt with my son,' the prince emphasised the last part, voice dripping with sarcasm. 'He needs a little discipline. Long overdue, wouldn't you agree?'

'Whatever,' Trunks said, his face hardening as he got into a defensive stance. Still, there was the hint of a spark in his eyes, anticipating the thrill of battle, blood and revenge. 'Let's settle this.'

'Well-' the prince folded his arms and opened his mouth to speak, sporting that stupid smile that looked so out of place on his dad's face, until he was interrupted.

'Wait, wait! Just one more thing before you continue.'

'What boy?'

'Shut the FUCK up and FIGHT!' Trunks hollered, charging the man with everything he had. There was no fear, no uncertainty, just the insatiable thirst for blood. Pehaps the imposter was weaker, perhaps far stronger, but he didn't care in the slightest. His father never would have. When their forearms clash, sparks were sent flying violently throughout the small space. The two saiyans held nothing back, matching each other blow for blow. The combat was very close with the limited space, and they could't fly, so instead they brawled, gripping tightly as as each one tried to overwhelm the other. They threw wild punches, choked, clawed and even bit eachother, aiming for major arteries or other deadly check points with every move. Who would win out in the end was anyone's guess.

...There's many a one for him does mourn

But none will know where he is gone

And over his bones when they lie bare

The wind will blow forever more

The wind will blow forever more...

NEXT CHAPTER: Bulma tries to execute her unusual plan in a last ditch effort to save herself and Vegeta. Will it be just crazy enough to work? In the meanwhile, Trunks and the prince continue in what will surely be a fight to the death. Will the doctor help Bulma and her son, or is he too focused on finishing Lennon to care anymore?
- 14
- 15
- 16
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