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Resolution on a Lonely Planet	By : Ulrike Category: Dragon Ball Z > General Views: 5386 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or the DBZ characters. This is a fanfiction written purely for entertainment. No money was made from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
*Hello everyone! I am so sorry for the wait. With all the new Dragonball Super episodes and DBZ movies and the super hot summer, I just had a really, really bad case of writer's block. And absolutely no inspiration. This chapter took forever and even now I'm like 'meh.' Don't worry. It will pick up again. Thanks!
A tournament would be held in nine days. Trunks realized he should have been angrier about the arrogant smirk on that monster's face. A smug know-it-all, Cell had appeared on the news, informing the world of the impending terror he planned to bring into this time-line. Trunks wanted to feel irate, furious, but instead all he experienced was exhaustion. That creature who had defeated him and then showed his cocky face on the television was someone he knew and understood. Within Cell's personality and DNA were the cells of Trunks's father. And at the moment, Trunks found he could not be angry with Vegeta. Something terrible had happened in this time-line (and possibly his own), which made the young demi-saiyajin's mind distracted. He couldn't focus on Cell right then.
Trunks flew through the warm summer air, circling the blue sky as he tried to make a decision. The past hours had proven two things: Something vile had happened to his father. And secondly, the other warriors on Earth were hiding it. Trunks knew Krillin and Yamcha had been acting strange when he asked about Bulma and Vegeta's relationship.
But what disturbed Trunks greatly was the actual fact that these down-to-earth, humorous people he had only heard Gohan speak of in his time-line...could actually be bad people. There was only one person Trunks knew he could actually trust, someone who wouldn't keep some hideous secret from anyone. Goku.
Spreading out his senses over the planet, the young man felt the carefree saiyajin's warm, powerful energy. He had waited until the next day to seek out Goku, giving himself time to ponder the situation. Trunks couldn't get the image of his mother's manic ravings from his thoughts. Even when she kindly offered to cut his hair that morning, the time traveler felt uneasy even letting her touch him. But the even-tempered half-saiyajin didn't feel comfortable saying no, possibly causing raised eyebrows from his grouchy father, who had been pacing the kitchen, ready to go to the Lookout for more training.
Trunks had followed Vegeta to the floating fortress in the sky, but decided not to stick around as some of the other Earth warriors milled about, too. Trunks only wanted to speak to one person, and that person was presently at home.
Trunks flew at an easy pace, his heart thudding loudly in his chest as he grew more nervous. He wasn't certain what he would discover. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know the details of...whatever it was that had happened. But he did want to know why things were being kept a secret; why were the funny, quirky people of the past not who they said they were?
Trunks touched down in the Sons' yard. It was strange seeing the garden so well kept and the tiny, domed house so put-together. In his time, Chi-Chi had become a recluse and Gohan had moved elsewhere. Trunks's master rarely spoke about his own family; Trunks imagined it was too difficult.
The young man seemed to have arrived just in time to catch the small family on the move. Goku and Gohan were both super-saiyajins, but were presently quite relaxed.
“You have the keys, right?”
Chi-Chi exited the house, her hand rummaging in a worn purse. She came to a stop, almost crashing into Goku's strong back.
“Well, hey Trunks!” the large super saiyajin said.
Gohan peered around his father's leg and gave the lavender-haired time-traveler a large smile. Trunks could tell that the young boy was intrigued by him, viewing him like an older brother...which was odd considering Trunks had been trained by that very boy almost 20 years in the future.
“Goku, hello,” Trunks greeted with a bow. “Chi-Chi...Gohan.”
They mirrored the action.
“Such amazing manners considering who his parents are.”
“Chi-Chi...”
“No, it's fine,” Trunks replied with a laugh. He approached the family. “You can't really deny that my parents aren't the most normal of people.”
His face was smiling, but he could tell that Goku read the seriousness in his eyes. The half-saiyajin gave a nod of acknowledgment, answering his friend's unasked questions.
“I hope you don't mind,” Trunks began. “I need to borrow Goku for a few minutes.”
Chi-Chi frowned, unabashedly showing her disdain for being delayed, but she swept her had at the two.
“Make it quick. Goku's driving us to the orchard for some apple-picking and I want to beat the crowds.”
Trunks smirked awkwardly, as he highly doubted that an apple orchard would have any kind of 'crowding' issues.
Giving a quick nod, the polite, young man trailed behind Goku as he walked toward the edge of the vast forest that surrounded the small home. Trunks knew that the playful saiyajin understood when something was about to get serious. It made Trunks nervous, not because he feared any form of temper from the dynamic man—but because he believed that an entirely hidden depth of wisdom lied buried beneath Goku's simple wit and grinning face.
“Something tells me you didn't come to go apple-picking,” Goku chortled.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Trunks let out a tired laugh, feeling exhausted from all the confusion within the last 16 hours.
“Jeez, I don't even know where to start. I mean, I'm finding out all these...things about my parents and this situation with something that happened three years ago and—“
“What thing?” Goku blurted.
Trunks's heart began to beat loudly in chest and he tried to decipher Goku's expression. As the taller man stood in his super-saiyajin form, he looked fierce no matter how much he smiled, but Trunks could see something else—a hint of fear.
Trunks looked into the sky for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts as birds danced in the trees overhead. He truly didn't know how to bring up such a secretive topic when he didn't even know all the details. But it was obvious Goku knew what he was about to discuss...and that made Trunks even more uneasy.
“Well, you know Cell appeared on TV while you and Gohan were in the chamber, right?”
The super saiyajin nodded.
“There was this news report about a man named Hal Jenkins.” He waited for a response, but Goku remained stoic. “He was just released from prison. I guess that's not the big news I wanted to talk to you about. But Yamcha flipped-out at the mere mention of this guy's name and bolted from the house....”
Trunks stared at the larger man, waiting for something, anything, to register on his face. But Goku looked cold...bitter almost.
“When I confronted Bulma about it...she nearly had the same reaction as Yamcha...only with a lot more anger...and ranting.” He decided to spare the rest of the details, hoping that Goku would give him the information he craved. “So...does any of this sound odd to you?”
Goku's eyes drew away from his interrogator, and his lips pressed together. Turning away, the golden-haired saiyajin shook his head and crossed his arms, muttering to himself.
“What was that?” Trunks asked.
“I tried to tell him,” Goku mumbled. “Up at the Lookout, before Vegeta took off to fight Cell. I...I tried to talk to him.”
Trunks stared at the man, his eyebrows drawn down in confusion. He was with his father after they had emerged from the time chamber. He didn't recall any strange or outstanding moments involving Goku trying to stop his father for a 'chat.'
“It wasn't very dramatic,” Goku went on, as if reading Trunks's wandering thoughts. “I told him to wait to fight Cell. As he rushed past me, I told him to wait...that I wanted to talk to him about something.”
“And he blew you off,” Trunks finished.
The younger man recalled that small moment. It seemed like the usual behavior between the two rivals. Trunks believed that Goku had been trying to distract Vegeta from fighting Cell. He hadn't been close enough to hear the exchange, but he remembered Goku attempting to grab the shorter man's arm in the hopes of stopping him. Vegeta had ripped his arm away as if Goku's touch was poison, before spitting a few angry words and leaping off the look-out.
“I tried to stop him from fighting Cell, and as he was about to leave, I told him that I needed to tell him something, and to wait.” Goku's green eyes lowered and a tired smile graced his young face. “But, you know Vegeta. He told me to get lost...though in much more colorful words than that. And then he took off.”
Trunks nodded slowly. He had followed the moody saiyajin, almost completely forgetting about the exchange as he prepared himself for Cell.
“And what were you going to tell him?”
One of Goku's light eyebrows lifted. Trunks knew that he was being searched by the powerful fighter—could practically feel Goku's vast mental powers probing him for answers.
“How much do you know?”
“I know that Vegeta was attacked by a human. Or maybe two. My moth—Bulma was pretty good at keeping the details hazy. Basically, one of her employees attacked Vegeta...and that Hal guy was involved?”
Goku nodded and Trunks could see that the full-blooded saiyajin was distracted by his own thoughts.
“And you guys wished Vegeta's memory away.”
At those words, Goku winced and stared into the ground like a child being disciplined. He was a model of living guilt and Trunks almost smiled at the purely childish reaction. But this was no laughing matter.
“I...it's true.”
“How could you let that happen?!”
Trunks's voice echoed into the forest and he sent an apologetic glance toward Gohan and Chi-Chi...who sat at the rickety picnic table next to their car.
“I never would have allowed Yamcha to do such a thing, had I known,” Goku stated. “But...I had to get Vegeta help at that moment. He...well...he was injured. I didn't know Yamcha had been collecting the dragon-balls.”
“Goku. What. Happened?”
The somber saiyajin was silent for some time and Trunks believed his fear had come true. Goku was someone who could not be trusted either. But just as the young man was about to turn away, Goku lifted his face....and his expression was chilling.
“I saw all of it, Trunks,” Goku whispered. His green eyes slid over to where his wife and child sat. Shaking his head, the super-saiyajin appeared so fragile suddenly. “I wasn't there, but I looked into Vegeta's mind. I've never talked about it...to anyone. Not since it happened. But the images haunt my dreams. Those screams...those sick, sick men.”
Trunks's blood ran cold and he found he couldn't speak. He thought it had merely been a 'bad' situation that all the earthlings had simply ignored. But from the way Goku was acting, Trunks began to realize just how much impact this mysterious episode had had on everyone.
“There was this man who worked at Capsule Corp. I don't know much about his background, other than the fact that he had been obsessed with Yamcha. Loved him even.”
Trunks could feel his face paling as Goku's haunted words began to paint a terrible picture within his mind.
“I don't know how much you've been told about your father or his actions when he first came to Earth, but it resulted in everyone's death except for me, Krillin, and Gohan.”
Trunks gave a small nod. His master, Gohan, had always tip-toed around Trunks's questions in regards to Vegeta. But over time, little snippets of stories had made the boy realize that the saiyajin prince hadn't exactly been a good guy. It had only been a couple weeks before Gohan's death that the story of Vegeta's past was finally revealed—not with explicit detail, but enough for the young boy to understand why those of his time-line rarely spoke of him.
“This made Skip, the crazy-guy, finally snap I guess,” Goku explained in an almost childish way.
To Trunks it seemed that Goku had suddenly regressed back to a more innocent persona, as if to protect himself from the images he had seen within Vegeta's tortured mind.
“Skip....and...Bulma had created a poison of some sort when Vegeta first arrived at Capsule Corp.—some kind of back-up plan in case Vegeta decided to turn on everyone and attack the planet.”
“What?!”
Trunks's large blue eyes blinked rapidly at Goku's words. The super saiyajin remained looking at the grass, nodding sadly.
“Bulma didn't know about Skip's obsession, just that he was friends with Yamcha.” Finally the man looked up, his face forlorn and guilty. “But this guy was one of Capsule Corp.'s leading scientist. I imagine with a brain like his, combined with Bulma's genius, that little potion of theirs was beyond powerful. Which it proved to be when....when Vegeta was injected with it.”
Trunks swallowed but said nothing.
“That poison was able to subdue Vegeta's energy and leave him completely helpless. I don't—I don't know when or how Skip made his plans...but he...”
Goku's voice choked slightly and he stared up at the sun that peeked through the tops of the trees. Trunks had never seen the happy-go-lucky saiyajin so distraught. Though, he had only known Goku a short time.
“Skip handed Vegeta over to three other men, one being his half-brother, Hal. And...” Goku's eyes squeezed shut and he shook his head, as if trying to fight off a wave of horrible memories. “He just left Vegeta with them...in this hidden section of a large house in the West City woods, where no one would find them. And no one could sense him.” Goku almost sounded as if he were pleading, begging for understanding.
“Vegeta's power was subdued and he was defenseless, completely defenseless. And these men...they...”
Trunks took a step back as Goku's power began to raise. The man's green eyes widened and he stared into the forest as his golden energy pushed against the trees and wilderness with its ferocity. Goku's fists clenched and he closed his eyes, his voice growling underneath his harsh breaths. Guttural noises escaped the powerful warrior's mouth, as if he was choking on his words.
“They tortured him. For hours upon hours they....did terrible things...”
The final words out of Goku's mouth were a mere whisper, but they seemed to cut off his power, allowing the environment around them to rest.
“Dad?”
Trunks looked over at the two very bewildered people sitting at the picnic table. Gohan was on his feet, staring at them with worry.
“Sorry, Gohan!” Goku called happily over his shoulder, without even glancing at the boy. “Just kinda got upset over this whole Cell thing.”
Turning back toward Trunks, the older saiyajin took a few calming breaths, running his hands over his face in an attempt to block out the visions of Vegeta's past tortures.
“I can't tell you what they did,” Goku said quietly. “But it went on into the next morning...and somehow, Vegeta had been able to escape. I think they forgot to inject him with the poison or something. I don't know...I only received Vegeta's memories in fast, horrible clips,” he explained, tapping his temple.
“And at some point, Yamcha showed up. And he didn't believe Vegeta. He...believed some story Skip had made up.” Goku's eyes tracked back-and-forth, as if he was following a slide-show of images. “But then at some point, Yamcha did believe him, but Skip had managed to use Vegeta—use his weakness to threaten Yamcha into...into...”
Goku stopped speaking then, the memories too horrid for him to continue. Trunks watched the tall man as he struggled with his emotions. With all the information the young dami-saiyajin had received, he expected some form of anger against Goku for not having saved the day...but all he felt was pity.
“Did Bulma know what Skip was going to do?”
Trunks's heart slammed loudly in his chest as he awaited the answer. He knew that he would never be able to look his mother in the face again if she had done nothing to prevent this.
“Bulma didn't know that Skip had this obsession. She had no idea he would do such a thing.”
Trunks breathed a sigh of relief.
“But....”
Uh-oh.
“After everything was finished between those four men, Yamcha, and Vegeta, I managed to keep Vegeta alive. Technically, he was dead, but his soul hadn't left his body yet. I was able to communicate—it's complicated. I don't even know if I can explain it,” Goku said softly. He sounded exhausted.
“I don't know whose idea it was, and I really don't care, but Bulma went along with it. She had no problems betraying him.”
Goku's fists tightened and his body began to shake with barely suppressed anger.
“What do you mean, Goku?” Trunks demanded.
Green eyes lifted and Trunks saw that fiery expression that was usually only reserved for the mighty super saiyajin's enemies.
“Bulma and your grandfather made a stupid decision to keep Vegeta's energy from him. He was still unconscious, you see, and Bulma had used this awful device, created by Skip, to trap Vegeta's energy. When he woke up, he had no idea why he didn't have his powers...and Bulma just acted like she didn't know either.
“This went on for about a week after Vegeta's abduction, and I guess during that time, Bulma and Vegeta got really close. None of us knew that it was this microchip thing inside of Vegeta that was controlling his energy. But eventually Vegeta found out....and it didn't go over too well.”
Trunks could only listen to the tale in shock. His life was slowly turning up-side-down as the people he thought he knew suddenly felt like strangers.
“Yamcha had been making trips around the world during that week, collecting the dragon-balls. He told Piccolo that he wasn't going to use them initially, but when Vegeta found out that Bulma had betrayed him, Yamcha made a selfish wish to block Vegeta's memories of what had happened. And from there...well...Vegeta and Bulma got close again...and here you stand.”
Trunks shook his head, absorbing all the information he just received. Running a hand across his mouth, the young man turned and paced for a moment before rounding on Goku angrily.
“So why didn't anyone tell Vegeta about this? Why didn't you inform him that he was betrayed? Why...why was my father not allowed to know what had been done to him?”
Goku's lips pressed together and he lowered his head in shame.
“I was going to tell him after Yamcha had made the wish. But...you would not have been born then, Trunks. Who was I to change the time-line that was set in stone?”
The lavender-haired saiyajin took a step back, his mind reeling.
“So, to ensure that I was born, Vegeta's own mind had been altered—his body used so a child could be born?”
Trunks's angry words echoed into the woods surrounding the Sons' house. He could hear Chi-Chi and Gohan talking quietly in the distance.
“I...I was going to tell him on the Lookout,” Goku mumbled.
Trunks shook his head angrily and pressed his fingers into his forehead.
“This isn't right. None of this...is right. He needs to know, Goku.”
“And he will,” Goku nodded as he lifted his hands to calm the younger saiyajin. “I can wait for him on the Lookout if that's what's best. I was going to spend these nine days with my family, but it just wouldn't be fair too--”
“No,” Trunks replied softly. “Stay with Gohan and Chi-Chi. I don't see how it would help the situation we're currently in if Vegeta finds out the truth now. All of you know him better than I do...but that year in the Time Chamber really showed me how bad that man's temper is. We can't fight two battle at once, in case my father actually does react violently.”
Trunks's blue eyes followed a fuzzy caterpillar as it inched its way along a nearby boulder.
“After Cell is dead and the threat of the androids is finally past us...Then. That's the time to speak to my father.”
“And I'll be the one to talk to him, Trunks.” Goku lifted a hand as Trunks appeared to contend his decision. “I know Vegeta hates me, but I'm the one who saw inside his mind. I'm the one that he should have been able to trust...and even I betrayed him.”
The super-saiyajin's green eyes burned into the ground as his thoughts raced.
“I'll be with you, though,” Trunks stated.
Goku gave a curt nod and forced a small smile onto his face.
“Once the Cell Games are over,” Goku explained, “I'll tell him everything.”
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Resolution on a Lonely Planet