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Gohan stared down at Trunks for what seemed like an eternity.

Trunks felt the point of his own sword break the soft skin under his chin. It was one small wound added to hundreds of wounds, some little, some horrific, that he had suffered at the hands of this man that had always meant so much to him.

Although Gohan's look was hard, full of anger and despair, Trunks braved it. Not wanting to endure another second of pain, Trunks was about to speak the dreaded words needed to ask Gohan to take his life and finish all of this.

But before Trunks could speak through his barely used voice, swallowing to prepare the sounds to make their way through his vocal chords, Gohan surprised Trunks by throwing Trunks' sword down to the ground between them. The sword gave a slight bounce nicking Trunks in the thigh.

Trunks continued to stare at Gohan in fear as Gohan lowered himself to the ground on his own knees in front of Trunks. Gohan, now almost level with Trunks, stared at him, still not speaking a word.

Gohan put his hand out and grasped the ki suppressor around Trunks neck, pulling and twisting at it as if he would choke Trunks with it. The irony of being strangled to death with the ki suppressor did not escape Trunks as he started to choke from the pressure of Gohan's knuckles pressed against his throat.

Gohan continued to twist the ki suppressor until they both heard it snap. Then Gohan whipped it from Trunks neck, Trunks feeling as if he could breathe for the first time in months, and not just because the grip around his throat was removed. He looked at Gohan in stunned disbelief.

"I could still kill you; you know that, don't you?"

Trunks was no fool. He knew that even if restored to his former strength through removal of the ki suppressor, he was no match for Gohan's daunting power. Trunks was also badly injured, further weakened from his earlier beating. Trunks nodded cautiously at Gohan.

"So, don't fuck with me, ok?"

Trunks didn't know what to say in response.

Gohan gave the sword between them a brief look, and swallowed as if he was nervous about something. He looked at Trunks, his eyes glistening with threatening tears.

"I'm giving you a chance. You can get out of here. I feel the others. They are near here. You can get to them before my father can get to you. But you can't waste any time. So you have to leave immediately. Got it?"

Trunks nodded, yet still unable to believe that Gohan was about to let him go. Despite Gohan's strength, Trunks knew Gohan's weakness when it came to his uncle, and knew what would transpire after his escape. Trunks knew exactly what Gohan was risking by letting him get away. Trunks could begin to feel the familiar remorse that filled him so often these past few months, as he stared into Gohan's dark eyes.

Gohan gave Trunks a bitter smile. "It's not as easy as that, Trunks. You've got to do something for me, first."

Trunks dreaded whatever Gohan would ask, having been beaten to respond as a dog would to constant reprimand and subjugation. So often, in the past few months, promises of leniency and kindness had ended in pain and humiliation. Trunks dreaded that this time was no different than any of the rest.

When Trunks wouldn't say anything, only look at Gohan with fear in his eyes, Gohan bent over and grabbed Trunks' sword. He held the sword by its blade, the hilt towards Trunks.

"Take it."

Trunks reached out trembling fingers, fearing this was some kind of trick that would turn deadly on him. He grasped the sword by its hilt and looked at Gohan, fearing what his captor would say next.

Gohan almost laughed, seeing the fear and mistrust in Trunks' blue eyes -- eyes that despite being swollen and caked with dirt at the corners, Gohan still found to be beautiful.

"Remember. You do this one thing, and you can go."

Trunks nodded, tears spilling from his eyes, sensing something final, sensing his own demise in the next few minutes and realizing he really didn't want his life to end this way, despite all the pain he had suffered. No! Not after so much continued misery! Never to see his family and friends again, having them wonder what happened to him. And most of all -- not to Gohan, whom despite everything, Trunks still loved.

With a shaking voice, Trunks asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Gohan smiled at Trunks, bitterness and regret evident in his eyes as he lifted the blade of the sword to his own throat.

"Just a little push and you'll split my throat. With the ki suppressor released, you won't even know your own strength. It will be like nothing."

Trunks threw the sword aside, slicing the skin open on Gohan's fingers.

"No! I'm not going to kill you!!"

"You have to, Trunks. I can't let you go any other way."

"Yes, you can! You don't have to listen to him! You don't..."

Gohan grabbed Trunks swollen jaw in a terrible, vice-like grip. "We've been through all of this. I'm telling you that I can't. And I'm not going to argue with you any more. You either kill me, or I've got to kill you. And I'm sick of this Trunks. You'll be doing me a favor. Please, just do this. Stop all this pain." Tears started to stream down Gohan's pale cheeks.

"Please. I'm begging you." Gohan wept.

Trunks looked at Gohan, shaking his head in despair. "I can't."

Gohan sobbed, "You don't know! You just don't know. Please? Please, I can't live this life any more."

"You can leave!"

Gohan shook his head vehemently, as he did countless times before at the suggestion. "You know I can't."

Trunks, exhausted, defeated, just stared at the dirt floor of the cellar, looking at his sword lying on the floor between them.

"Please, Trunks. End this. Please."

* * *

Fifteen years earlier...

The tiny boy, squashed between the insulated wall of the space pod and a large boot, continued his whimpering. The boot pressed against him, robbing him of breath once again.

"I said QUIET! I can't think with all that noise!"

Radditz heard desperate snuffling sounds and realized he was suffocating the kid. He took his boot away and the little boy turned away from him, cowering, his little face pressed against the space pod's walls.

"Now, what's wrong with this stupid thing?"

Radditz pushed at random controls, as he had done for over the last half hour. He didn't understand it, but thought the problem might have something to do with when the boy had burst out of the space pod to attack him in the midst of the battle. The boy must have damaged the pod.

Radditz felt almost uncontrollable anger rage through him as he pushed at the buttons, but he had to contain it out in the middle of space as he was. It would not do to burst the ship around him in a fit of rage, far away from any planet.

There was a sudden blip on the screen and Radditz gasped.

"Come, on, please!" Radditz begged the controls, praying for them to work.

The screen lit up for the first time since he took off and Radditz tried to contain his glee. He didn't want to get his hopes up as he started to send a signal to Vegeta. To his delight, it seemed to be working.

The screen facing Radditz read, "Connection open."

"Yeah?" Radditz heard a surly Vegeta ask over the communicator.

"Vegeta! It's me."

"Who the hell else would it be?'

Radditz contained his anger.

"So?"

"Well, I found Kakarot." Radditz could begin to feel sweat break out on his brow.

"Is he following in his pod?"

"No."

"What do you mean, `No'?"

Radditz suppressed his growing discomfort as he answered, "He resisted. He wasn't like us. Kakarot had been altered. He didn't carry out his mission and... Well, I had to get rough. He's dead."

The child whimpered and Radditz pressed a reprimanding foot against his side.

Vegeta sighed audibly. "You're kidding me, right? You couldn't do something as simple as get your brother? You had to KILL HIM? You could have made him see reason! You could..."

"I've got his son!" Radditz interrupted Vegeta, hoping to stop his tirade.

"His son?!" There was a long pause. "He can't be very old?"

Radditz looked down at Gohan, who cowered closer to the wall in response. "He's a child. I don't know how old. He's young. But he's strong. Vegeta, you wouldn't believe the kid's power..."

"You mean to tell me you failed in getting Kakarot, a simple mission, and instead you bring me his pup?! Is this supposed to make me happy, Radditz? I'm just trying to figure this out. Help me, Radditz. Is that correct?"

Lamely, Radditz had to admit, "Yes."

"That is what you are trying to tell me."

"YES!"

"Ahh, I see. And you..."

"Look, Vegeta. There's something really important I need to tell you. There are these things -- they're called dragon balls. When I was fighting against Kakarot, his ally, well, some green freak actually, had said something about these things called dragon balls. That if all of them are gathered you get to ask this dragon for a wish and he grants it!"

There was silence on the communicator for an uncomfortable length of time and Radditz thought the connection was broken again. Then he heard Vegeta ask, "So, you've got them with you?"

Radditz swallowed, sensing the anger his response would induce, "No. I don't. They're back on the planet, but..."

"YOU SERIOUSLY MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU LEFT SOMETHING VALUABLE, LIKE THESE DRAGONBALLS YOU SPEAK OF, BUT INSTEAD YOU BRING ME A SMALL, USELESS CHILD????!!"

Radditz tried to get a word in edgewise, but Vegeta wouldn't let him.

"Radditz, I thank you for this bit of information. Nappa and I will continue to make our way to the planet to retrieve these `dragon balls.'"

"I could meet up with you before you get there?" Radditz interjected, hopeful.

Vegeta chuckled and the sound sent a cold shiver down Radditz' spine.

"Ahh, Radditz. If you meet us, as you say, it would be the last thing you ever do --because if I ever see your incompetent ass again, I'll kill you."

"Vegeta! Please, don't..."

"Bye Radditz. Remember. If I ever see you again, I'll kill you. And thanks for the `dragon balls.'"

The communication link was terminated and Radditz stared at the communicator in horror.

Radditz looked out at the vast expanse of space, feeling the first traces of abandonment, and how truly alone he was. He had no one to help him and nothing...

Radditz looked down, bitterness marking his features as he regarded the scared little boy cowering at his feet.

He had nothing, except for a small, half-saiyan boy.

Radditz fought against the urge to kill the boy with his bare hands.

Radditz thought, Maybe I could sell him to a slave trader.

He had to do something, anything, because Radditz didn't have very much else left to him.