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*CRASH*

The heavens opened up and dark clouds swept across the sky. Liquid drops of rain cascaded down in torrents of pounding fury. Jagged forks of lightning crackled across the horizon, leaving resounding hollow booms to resonate in their wake.

Gohan cried, and the world cried with him.

He stood alone, his tears indistinguishable from the rain as water spilled down his face. The bitter feeling of failure mixed with the numbness of loss. They were gone. . . everyone was gone.

The puddle at his feet was stained red with the blood seeping from his numerous gashes. Some part of him registered the pain but it didn’t bother him. Physical pain was something he knew how to deal with but the anguish of watching his friends die was completely different.

He felt his rage grow, fueled by the crushing weight of total defeat and loss. His anger intensified and as his fury escalated so did his ki. His energy manifested itself, blazing brighter than the flashes of lightning, surrounding him with a smoldering aura. Desires of vengeance burned through him; cravings for retribution against the evil beings that had caused his pain. The light around Gohan grew brighter. Golden flames intensified to a hot, fiery white.

And then it faded to black.

***

Gohan cracked open his eyes and blearily focused on the ceiling of the Capsule Corp infirmary. As his eyes adjusted to the bright fluorescent light, the memories flooded came back to him. He groaned and rolled over on the clean white sheets.

He was suddenly confronted with two small blue eyes.

“Trunks?” He asked groggily.

“I can’t feel Daddy anymore.” Trunks said tearfully, “Mommy said he isn’t coming back.”

Gohan heaved a sigh, Trunks must have sensed Vegeta’s ki disappear when he died. “I’m so sorry, Trunks,”

“The bad guys got him?”

“I’m afraid so.”

The tears that had welled up in Trunks’s eyes dissipated as the tiny half Saiya-jin’s face assumed a determined look of anger. “I’m gonna get them back” He said.

“No.”

“I wanna fight too! Please train me, I can help! I’m gonna be a warrior like my Dad was!”

Gohan closed his eyes, “I don’t want you to fight Trunks.” He said. ‘I don’t want to see them hurt you. I don’t want to watch you die too.’ He added silently.

“No! I can do it! I can fight like you!” Trunks yelled, “You just have to teach me how!”

“He’s right Gohan” a voice said, coming from the doorway.

Gohan turned to see Bulma standing in the door frame.

“He will fight, it’s in his blood.” She said with a small, sad smile, “If you train him, he will have a better chance of surviving”

“But Bulma. . .”

“No, it kills me to think of my baby having to fight with them but there is nothing that I can do.” She paused and took a deep breath, “You can’t do this alone, and although I can’t bear the thought of loosing him like I did his father, Trunks is our only other hope. The least we can do is give him a fighting chance.”

Gohan sighed again, defeated. “You’re right.”

“Does that mean you’ll train me?” Trunks asked hopefully.

“Yeah kid, training starts tomorrow.” Gohan said with an encouraging smile.

“Yay! I’m gonna be the strongest ever!”

As Gohan watched Trunks bound out of the room, he was overwhelmed by the thought of the terrible burden he was placing on this tiny, innocent child.

Gohan broke down again and cried. He cried for his friends, who had died fighting for the world they had defended so many times, a world which had never given them the least bit of recognition or acknowledgement for their countless sacrifices. He cried for Bulma, who had, like him, seen all her family and friends die, and was powerless to save them. He cried for himself, the last Z fighter, who had the weight of the survival of the entire world crushing down on him. He cried for Trunks, who would also have to bear that weight.

***

Bulma saw Gohan’s tears and quietly left the room, she too had cried, and she knew all too well what it felt like to be on the sidelines, unable to help to change fate of her world. Well, no more! Bulma Briefs wasn’t going to stand for this any longer,with determination born of anguish, she marched down to her lab. If she couldn’t help to alter this future, she damn well was going to build something that could.