Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Branded ❯ Chapter 2

Vegeta's energy blast missed Trunks' head by mere centimeters, burning the ends of his blond, Super Saiyan hair. He dodged to the left, directly in the path of another blast. This one caught him square in the stomach and drove him back into the far wall of the training room. He dropped, unceremoniously, to the floor where he lay panting.

"You're not concentrating!" Vegeta yelled.

"I know, I know," Trunks moaned as he struggled to his feet. His legs shook slightly, but at least they still held him upright. He got into a defensive stance just as his father flew at him, throwing a punch to Trunks' face.

Trunks caught Vegeta's fist and held it at bay while blocking a kick aimed at his ribs. Vegeta spun around and clipped his son on the side of the head with his elbow. Trunks, again, flew across the room and landed in a heap on the floor. This time, his power dropped too quickly and he lost control of his Super Saiyan level. His aura of energy dissipated and his hair and eyes went back to normal. Trunks rolled over onto his back with his arms and legs flung out, his chest heaving from exertion.

"You're not that hurt!" Vegeta scolded, powering down to normal. "What is your problem today?"

Trunks knew what he wanted to ask, but also knew his father wouldn't answer a direct question. He would have to wheedle the information he wanted from him. Luckily, he had inherited that skill from his mother.

"I guess I'm still exhausted from the dream I had last night," Trunks said, struggling to sit up. "Do you have nightmares about fighting, too?" he asked as innocently as he could.

"Warriors do not have nightmares!" Vegeta snapped. Turning his back on his son, he punched a button on the computer console. The whir of the chamber changed pitch as the gravity returned to normal. He then picked up two towels and tossed one to Trunks.

"But everyone has nightmares," Trunks persisted, wiping the sweat from his face. "Even Mom said she still has bad dreams about the planet Namek."

Vegeta didn't comment as he methodically toweled off his face, arms and chest.

"My worst nightmares are about being trapped inside of Buu," Trunks admitted, shyly glancing at Vegeta out of the corner of his eyes for any reaction. When he still received no offered information, Trunks' spirit sank. He would have to resort to a direct assault.

"What are your nightmares about?"

Vegeta draped the towel around his neck and faced Trunks. "Warriors don't have nightmares," he repeated in a dead calm voice, then began walking toward the door. "Training is over."

Trunks jumped to his feet with renewed energy. In a streak of color, he ran to intercept Vegeta, blocking his exit from the gravity chamber. Vegeta stood, looking down at his son who faced him defiantly.

"But you are having nightmares!" Trunks shouted. "What are they about? If you tell us, maybe we could help you stop them!"

When Vegeta didn't move or even look like he was going to answer, Trunks lost control. He began pounding on his father's chest in frustration.

"You have to stop those nightmares!" he cried out.

The boy's punches didn't phase Vegeta in the slightest. In fact, he was a little annoyed that Trunks didn't use his full strength against him. These blows were that of a child, not the fighter he was training to be.

"You hurt Mom! If you don't stop, you could kill her one night!" Trunks continued. He could barely keep the tears from his eyes as he added, "Then I would kill you!"

The threat caught Vegeta's attention more than anything else Trunks had said or done. In one fluid movement, he caught hold of him with one hand and picked his son up by the neck. Trunks' wide eyes were level with Vegeta's narrowed ones, their faces were so close that he could feel the heat radiating off of his father.

"Are you threatening me?" Vegeta asked in a voice just above a whisper.

Trunks' couldn't speak because Vegeta was cutting off his air supply. He nodded the best he could against the hand that held him in the air. Even though he was afraid of his father's wrath, he knew it would be worse if he backed down now.

A half smile spread across Vegeta's face and his hand loosened enough for Trunks to breathe once more.

"Now you're beginning to sound more like a Saiyan," Vegeta said. He let his son drop to the floor and left the training room without looking back.

Trunks sat on the floor rubbing his neck and staring after Vegeta. A slow smile spread across his face. He didn't know what he finally did right, but the look of pride in his father's eyes was certainly worth it.