Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A World Gone Wrong ❯ A World Gone Wrong ( One-Shot )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

A WORLD GONE WRONG
A DBZ/Mirai Trunks Fanfic
Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess




He didn't feel the pounding rain as it slapped harshly against his skin and
clothing, snapping against him like the tail of a whip. He didn't hear the
sounds of the pastor, or the lamenting cries of those around him. He didn't
feel the hands pulling lightly on his shoulders, trying to turn him away from
his mother's descending coffin.

For what seemed like hours, Trunks Briefs couldn't see, hear or feel a thing.
His thoughts were turned inward, avoiding the people and places surrounding him.
It all happened so quickly. No signs, no warning. It had simply happened.

And he was helpless to stop it.


*****************************************
Who can say
where the road goes
where the day flows,
only time
And who can say
if your love grows,
as your heart chose,
only time
*****************************************


He had returned from the past with knowledge about the androids. His mother
greeted him happily, hugging him tightly. She asked about his adventures, of
what he saw, what he learned and what he did. They talked for over a day, as
she shared, too, some of the things that had happened in their world while he
was gone.

The Androids had stopped their attacks temporarily and had gone into hiding. No
one knew where or why. But just before his return, they had picked up their
attacks. And they were forming a pattern, one Trunks recognized.

It was within the week that he confronted Androids 17 and 18, just outside of
the old capitol. Using his newfound strength and Saiyan abilities, he defeated
the androids. It was almost too easy, he thought. After years of struggling,
it was almost too easy. It brought a smile to his face.

"This is for you, Gohan, dear friend."

Then there was Cell. It was two weeks after the defeat of Androids 17 and 18
that the monster had appeared. Trunks had expected him, watching over his
shoulder as he prepared for another trip back to the past to let the others know
of his success. Cell was angry that Trunks had destroyed the androids and
attacked, hoping to get the time capsule. But again, Trunks was ready. Since
Cell had not achieved the level of power he had in the past, he was defeated
just as easily as the Androids.

Now with the threats to his world gone, it was time to rebuild.

Capsule Corp was the first to be rebuilt. It was a magnificent sight. Bulma
was so excited. Employees began returning to their jobs and people in general
returned to their normal lives. Trunks began working at Capsule Corp the day it
reopened as Vice President of the company.

He also made several friends while helping in the city. Akira, Lily, Jacks and
Asami all came to work for Capsule Corp. Akira and Jacks worked in the labs.
Both were rather large men with equal size minds. Akira -- with his long brown
hair, leering smile and womanizing ways -- was the adventurer, while Jacks --
with his short black hair, medium build and friendly manner -- was the scholar.
Trunks immediately took to Jacks, who reminded him of his late mentor Gohan.
Akira had been a bit harder to swallow, but in a matter of weeks, the two became
close friends.

Lily worked as a secretary in the Accounting department. Tall, blond and
beautiful, she was the envy of every woman she crossed paths with. She was a
hit at the company, even if it was just to bring a smile to everyone's faces.

Asami, or Sam as most called her, worked as the production and scheduling
coordinator. It was a tough job, but Sam was very well organized. Five foot
eight, slim, and athletic, she was the complete opposite of Lily's very lady-
like manners. That wasn't to say that she wasn't a lady, but she often fit in
as one of the guys. Often times Trunks would find her in the lab working with
his mother.

Just what he needed, he often thought with a smirk much like his father's,
another Bulma Briefs.


*****************************************
Who can say
why your heart sighs
as your love flies,
only time
And who can say
why your heart cries
when your love flies,
only time
*****************************************


After several weeks of coercion from his friends Akira and Jacks, Trunks asked
Lily out. The two were a stunning couple, making all the ladies in the Capsule
Corp offices even more envious. The couple spent as much time together as they
could, going to movies or to dinner. Business dinners and events seemed much
brighter with Lily at his side.

But things didn't stay that way for long.

Trunks and Lily had been dating for almost three months when Lily began avoiding
him. He wasn't sure why, and he couldn't reach her on her company phone, or at
home. Akira and Jacks were in the dark as well. Asami, who had been Lily's
friend since childhood, simply shook her head saying it wasn't her place to
tell. Trunks tried to coax the information from her, but Asami wouldn't budge.
She smiled at him, giving him a brief hug before saying, "It's only a matter of
time."

After two weeks of avoiding him, Lily finally confronted him. Tears falling
like the rain outside, she told him that she was pregnant. Trunks was shocked,
but it was only momentary.

"I'll do whatever it takes," he told her confidently. "I'll take
responsibility."

Lily smiled through her tears and shook her head sadly.

"It's not yours," she told him.

Shocked again, Trunks stood from behind his desk tentatively approaching her.
He stopped himself just on the other side of his desk, half-afraid to get near
her, half-afraid to know the answer to his next question.

"Whose is it?"

Lily sighed, the tears still falling.

"Jacks."

Two days later, Lily turned in a letter of resignation. As did Jacks. Both
knew that they were no longer welcome at Capsule Corp. One would think
friendship would overcome hardship.

Not this time.


*****************************************
Who can say
when the roads meet
that love might be
in your heart
And who can say
when the day sleeps
if the night keeps
all your heart
*****************************************


Heart broken and depressed, Trunks felt his life begin to fall apart. He took
to drinking, coming in to work late, and often liquored up. Bulma tried
everything she could to help, but nothing worked. Akira took him to clubs
introducing him to other women, but that didn't work either. He didn't want
another woman. He didn't want friends. He just wanted to be alone.

But he wasn't. Never. Asami saw to that.

She was constantly there. Never in the way, just there. Whether Trunks liked
it or not. It seemed annoying at first. But after a while, he came to rely on
her presence to keep him sane. She said nothing to him, just stood by quietly,
watching over him. When he was ready to talk, she was ready to listen.
And just when things started looking up, they took a turn for the worse.

Trunks found his mother passed out in the lab one afternoon, just after lunch.
He carried her upstairs, yelling at his secretary to call an ambulance. As
she scurried away, impatience got the better of him and he carried Bulma out
the window, flying to the nearest hospital.

The doctors and nurses of the ER ran through his mother's room, carrying
needles, drugs and various equipment. It was hours before they knew anything.
And longer still until his mother woke up from her slumber. When he asked the
doctors what was wrong they all frowned at him.

"It's not good."

Bulma had contracted cancer, a type of which the doctors had never seen.
Whether it was stress induced or genetic they couldn't tell until they had done
some more tests.

Trunks stayed at the hospital, sleeping in a metal chair by his mother's
bedside. She had insisted that he not stay, that he go back to Capsule Corp and
try to act normal. But he'd have none of it. He didn't want to leave. He was
afraid.

He was half-asleep the next afternoon when he heard a low ringing noise coming
from one of the monitors. He sat up in his chair, looking at each piece of
equipment. It was several moments before he realized what it was.
"Nurse!"

He returned to Capsule Corp the next day, knowing that it was what his mother
wanted. He saw Asami asleep behind his desk. For a moment he thought something
had happened to her, too, then pushed the thought aside as she stirred.

"Trunks?" she asked groggily. She rubbed her eyes, sitting up. It had been
nearly three days. She had taken care of business for him. As well as she
could anyway. The stack of papers on his desk was cut in half, his meetings
delegated to other assistants, and his phone messages were neatly written down
in order of importance.

He said nothing at first, remaining in the doorway as Asami became more awake,
more alert. When he didn't move or speak, Asami grew worried. She stood from
the desk, nearly running over to him.

"Bulma-san?" she asked in a whisper. "Trunks-kun, is she--?"

Trunks still said nothing, a single tear falling down his cheek. Without
warning, he fell to his knees in front of Asami. The tears started to fall
faster, still no words were said. He rested his forehead on her stomach and
simply cried.

Asami looked down at him in both worry and surprise as his arms wrapped around
her waist, hugging her. She stroked his hair as he cried, tears falling from
her eyes as well.

For all his Saiyan strength, there was nothing he could do against fate.


*****************************************
Who can say
if your love grows
as your heart chose,
only time
And who can say
where the road goes
where the day flows,
only time
*****************************************


"Trunks?"< br>
He blinked several times, finally realizing that someone was standing beside
him, hands on his shoulders. He sighed, trying to smile for Asami. She managed
a smile back, relieved that he was out of his trance.

She looked so pale, he noticed, and even more tired than he was. Her face
almost glowed white behind the black sweater and long skirt she had worn for the
funeral. Even her lips looked pale, perhaps from the cold and rain. Thanks to
the rain, her redish-blond hair was pasted to her head and the sides of her
face, only helping to accentuate her pale skin. Trunks took off his black
trenchcoat and wrapped the soggy garment around her shoulders.

Both had worked hard since Bulma's passing to keep Capsule Corp going. They
spent almost every waking moment with each other, working on papers and projects
that had gone unfinished by Bulma. They ate dinner late at night and breakfast
before the crack of dawn. If they weren't working, they were sleeping, often
times in the lab or in Trunks' office. Neither of them had any idea how
difficult it was to run a company.

And all the while Asami comforted him in his time of need. She had always been
there for him, he noted one evening while watching her sleep in the lab.

She was there when he needed help with paperwork.

She was there when he needed a smile.

She was there when he needed a shoulder to cry on.

She was there when his mother had contracted the cancer that ultimately ended
her life.

She was simply there. Always. Good, kind, strong-hearted, beautiful Asami. He
wasn't sure where the last had come from, but he realized now it was the truth.
"Trunks?" she asked again with a tilt of her head.

"You're all wet," Trunks replied with a chuckle.

Asami giggled, a sound he had come to love over the past few weeks.

"So are you," she said, pulling his jacket tighter around her as a chill breeze
blew past. "It's time to go."

Trunks nodded, turning to take one last look at his mother's grave. The
caretakers were covering the coffin with dirt. Even still, through the dark
dirt and mud, he could see the smiling face of his mother. Kneeling he placed a
single flower at the foot of her grave, as well as one at the foot of his
grandfather's and grandmother's graves just to the left of Bulma's.

To the right was another headstone. His father's headstone. He merely smiled
at it, remembering his father as he had known him in the past and hoped he would
be the same person today. He closed his eyes sending one final prayer upward,
hoping his mother could hear him.

'Now, mother, the two of you can be together again.'

As if in answer, the rain slowed, then stopped. The clouds began to break up as
small slivers of sunlight tried to peak through the heavy masses. Smiling,
Trunks stood, turning away from the grave. Asami smiled in return, offering him
his jacket back. He took it from her, folding it over one arm and wrapping the
other arm round her shoulders.

Together they walked away from Bulma's grave. The path from the drive to the
graveyard was long, lined with trees and bushes and wildflowers. It was the
spot where the original Capsule Corp had once stood. A place his mother loved
very much.

As the trees thinned and the stone path became concrete, a car pulled up to
greet them. It wasn't the usual limo Trunks was accustomed to traveling in.
Instead it was a sports model GT Stallion. One of the first cars his
grandfather had designed and built. Akira got out from the driver's side,
smiling at them both as they approached the car.

"Need a ride?" he asked with a joking smile.

Both Trunks and Asami nodded, smiling back. Trunks opened the door for Asami.
She made a funny face at first, not accustomed to having doors opened for her,
but she said nothing, seating herself in the car.

Akira got in the car as Trunks closed his door. Akira looked at his friends in
the back seat with a small knowing smile. Eyes on the road, he put the car into
gear, driving off.

Trunks stared out the window as the car began to move. It was a world gone
wrong, he thought, watching the trees and grass pass by at incredible speeds. A
world gone wrong from the very moment it was created. He sighed, resting his
head against the window. He jerked it back up when he felt a hand over his. He
looked over to see Asami looking out her window as well, her hand tentatively
resting over his. He grasped it with a smile.

Asami turned, surprised, not realizing what she'd done. She blushed, relaxing
slightly. After a moment she returned his smile, squeezing his hand lightly.
As their eyes met, a small spark of hope touched Trunks' heart for the first
time in months. Maybe, just maybe, he thought with a smile, the world would be
right again someday.


*****************************************
Who knows - only time
*****************************************


~~FIN~~


DISCLAIMER:
I do not own Trunks, Gohan, Bulma or any other Dragonball character mentioned
above. That credit goes to one Akira Toriyama. No permission was asked for
their use, and no profit is being made from this story.

Asami, Akira, Lily and Jacks are my creations. Pity them, please, but do
not attempt to use them without my permission.

"Only Time" is from the album "A Day without Rain" by Enya, produced by Nicky
Ryan for Reprise Records (Time Warner) (c)(p) 2000 Warner Music UK ltd.