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One to Rule Them All
By: Beta Genius
Prolog
One sunny afternoon, when the air was as dry as the cracked ground, everything was where it was suppose to be. Everything was as normal as it could be, and even the dust trails blew quietly about. It was just your average day in the third timeline.
Neobli grew tied of doing chores and doing work that she finally decided to give it a break, going out into the deserted town. Everyone was inside their homes to stay away from the hot sun as it beat down onto the dry planet, so everything was still and quiet as she walked. She thought about heading to Clef’s shop on the other side of town, seeing how she had nothing else to do with her time. Besides, as soon as she reached into her pocket to grab out her lip gloss and mirror packet, she wrinkled her nose disgusted, throwing it to the ground as it began to melt on her hand.
“Eww, son of a...”she mumbled, waving her hand furiously to get the melted lip gloss off. “Oh, I swear! Shelila is so going to get it when I told her to take care of it!”
She tripped forward, shaking her head as she whipped the rest of it on her cloak. However, she stopped as she heard something behind her, turning to see what made the shadow from behind. She would regret that she had as a hand gripped around her neck, lifting her up as the area around grew dark. She had seen this before, and grew frozen with horror as she saw it, the creature that had consumed her spirit once before.
“Be careful what you say, sister, or some day you just might pay,” he said, gripping tighter as the dark, emptiness engulfed her. After a few moments, it retreated, dropping her cold, lifeless body to the ground.
He grinned in amusement as he turned, looking blankly ahead of him. “Heh, only two more timelines to go. First this one, then my descendants’ timeline. It should be fairly easy, don’t you think, sister?”
Part One
“C’mon, Trunks, wake up! Time to go!”
Daily life had seemed easier now that they had nothing to be worried about. Just as long as they knew their own strength, there was nothing that could get in their way of having a peaceful life. Everything was like it was now before the Dark Clef had come about, and even Vadolla herself seemed more uplifted by it. Though some new rivalries had kicked up, others had died away. Vegeta and Goku fought less often, considering themselves finally even in strength. However, the others thought they would still be fighting if Vadolla wasn’t around, for it seemed that Vegeta picked more fights with her than any of them could count. Though this was so, it didn’t stop them from trying to live peacefully, so everything was technically normal, (or as normal as it could get).
Trunks and Vadolla had decided to live in this time, considering that they probably would be better off living near more people they knew. Recently engaged to be married, mostly everyone was happy for them, with a few exceptions. Their lives were as well as the others, living in a village just outside a large city. Of course, living in different houses, Vadolla had to go early that morning to wake him up in time.
She had knocked on his bedroom window, Trunks opening the shutters with squinted eyes in the bright morning sunshine.
“C’mon, Trunks, rise ‘n shine! We gotta go see them today!” Vadolla repeated as he rubbed his eyes and picked up his clock.
“But it’s only...” He blinked trying to get his eyes to focus. “Ten-o-clock? Oh, you can’t be serious.”
“Ten-o-clock? Let me see that,” she took the clock from his hands. “Oh shoot! My clock must be two hour behind! Oh well, you got a few more hours of sleep this morning.”
“Ah, it’s too early!” he complained, flipping back around and putting the pillow over his head.
“No it’s not, you just sleep too much,” she said smiling. She reached forward, taking the pillow away. “You promised we’d go see my family today. It’s already been, what, about a year since we last saw them? Now c’mon, get up and let’s go, huh?”
“Yeah alright, I’m going, I’m going,” he grumbled, stumbling out of bed and through the bedroom door. Vadolla smiled, reaching in and shutting the window shutters.
Stumbling out of the doorway into the open air, Vadolla laughed slightly as she took his wrist, running along to just out behind the trees. Concentrating on one open spot, she held out her hands to open a portal between worlds, one to this and one to the third timeline. There was a moments pause as Vadolla thought, Trunks yawning and trying to get his attention working better. As she laughed, though, he turned his head, wondering why.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Oh, umm, nothing much. I was just thinking of what my mother will say when she hears you’ve asked me to marry you. And then I think of what Neobli will say, knowing that she is so going to be pretty mad.”
“What about Clef?” he asked.
“Oh he should already know. Though Neobli can see into the thoughts of us two siblings, she isn’t very mindful of it, as Clef would be.” She smiled. “But nothing you should be concerned about.”
He shrugged. “What’s there to be concerned about?”
She gave him a dirty look with a smile, shoving him in the shoulder. He laughed, walking into the portal. Taking the band that was around her wrist she tied her hair back in a ponytail, jumping into the portal as it closed behind her.
Stepping down onto the hard desert ground, she thought that the bright, warm rays of the sun would hit her face, but they didn’t. This place was cold and desolate, the sky dark with a red hue to it. Vadolla shook her head as both she and Trunks stared out into the deserted town, not knowing why it was so.
“Something’s wrong. Something’s seriously wrong,” Trunks stated, shaking his head to the presence he felt drifting through the air.
“This isn’t my home...This can’t be my home!” Vadolla said, looking around her surroundings.
“Well, uh, why don’t we just take a look around huh? See what happened to this place.”
They walked along for a time, hearing nothing but the sound of dusty wind. As they came to the town center, a dark presence seemed to capture the air around. When they walked around the center well at last, Vadolla screamed, seeing her dead sister. She fell back in sudden and complete horror as she saw the sight before her. A mirror image, like she had seen a year ago, but this time the other way around. And this time she witnessed what happened.
He grinned as he held Clef by the neck, but even though Vadolla’s brother was dead, he enjoyed torturing the dead. Seeing both Vadolla and Trunks, he smiled evilly, snapping Clef’s neck and throwing him to the side like garbage. He faced them, waving his hand for them to come closer.
“Do not be afraid, dear sister, for you will soon join your siblings,” he grinned, walking towards them. He laughed as Trunks stepped in front of the terrified Vadolla to protect her. “Stupid Sayajin,” he chuckled. He held out his hand, which glowed vibrantly a dark essence.
Trunks stood his ground, and would have picked up Vadolla and ran, but couldn’t. He couldn’t move. Paralyzed yet again by the same person who had done this to him before. The Dark Spirit, Clef Diamond, was almost in reach as Trunks was pulled away...into the ground.
Vadolla had opened a portal beneath them, pulling them away and closing it before it could get any closer. It, or he, the Dark Spirit, chuckled to this, knowing that there’d be a next time. He had nothing to worry about, so long as he knew they would all die in the end. He turned, staring at the palm of his right hand, and began to laugh madly, almost insanely, as he disappeared into nothing, as that timeline and universe soon became.
* * *
The sky opened from darkness to its beautiful bright blue, cloudless and spotless except for the brilliant sun. That part of the world enjoyed their great day while they could, seeming that everything was perfect as it could be. Those who had the hot sun went to the beach, where the cool breeze places stayed out and did chores outside. Most city folk were liable to go to the beach either way, to soak up some rays and get a tan or even just to enjoy time. But even country folk went to catch the sun on the hot sands, one particular family that most did know of.
Actually, two families for the city and that county land knew each other. Vegeta wasn’t too happy about the fact that they would be spending their afternoon with the Sons, but it soon turned out that it wasn’t too bad. (At least he’d be able to challenge Goku at a few games of sorts). Trunks and Vadolla had also thought it to be a good idea of going to he beach, to get their minds off of what had happened in the third timeline. Trunks tried to tell Vadolla that it was okay, that if Clef didn’t have a pass into this world everything would be fine. But somehow he could tell she didn’t believe him, and didn’t talk very much after. As they were there, she still didn’t speak much, (even if Videl, Bulma, Bra, Chi-Chi, and Pan talked unstoppably), but only looked ahead onto the ocean’s waters.
“Oh yeah! ‘Nother two points for me!” Big T grinned. At this point it was the Sons against the Briefs.
“Hey, no fair! You flew to make that shot!” Goten exclaimed.
“Yeah, well, you flew up to block some of those shots!” he argued.
“The ball got in my way and I just happened to be going for the net at the time!”
“Would you two cut it out! We have a game to play!” Vegeta shouted at them both, and they quieted.
The game continued for a few more minutes as Goten made a shot, Big T jumping up beyond normal height and blocking it. Goten exclaimed, while Big T came back with a snickering comeback. They put up their dukes as they glared at each other angrily, Vegeta shaking his head. Goku and Gohan laughed, while Trunks sighed in amusement but annoyance. He looked back to see the girls continuing to chatter away, all but one. Vadolla remained silent, staring blankly, but almost sadly, at her outstretched feet.
“So I said to her, ‘Well, if you, like, want these shoes you’re gonna have to go out and, like, buy you’re own’ and she’s like, ‘Well fine, they aren’t that great of shoes anyway’. I mean, duh, she’s just probably jealous that I have a pair and she doesn’t,” Bra yammered on.
“Oh I so know what you mean!” Pan said. “Don’t you say, Vadolla?”
Vadolla didn’t answer, but sighed quietly to herself and kicked a rock that was underneath her shoe.
“Vadolla?” Chi-Chi asked. “Are you feeling all right?”
She still didn’t answer as Bra began to wave her hand over her eyes. She snapped her fingers, but she still didn’t respond, not even flinch. “Whoa, she’s, like, totally out of it.”
“I’ll say,” Videl said, stepping and front and waving her hands in front of Vadolla’s face. “Vadolla. Vadolla, anyone home?”
Trunks turned back to see that Big T and Goten will still bickering, and thought he had time to go check on her. But as he turned around and was heading off the hot basketball court cement, something struck him. He blinked, noticing that everything had gone quiet. The birds had stopped chirping, the ocean tide had ceased to roll across the shore, and even the sound of Big T and Goten had disappeared. He looked back, finding that everything had stopped. Time itself had stopped, and soft shadows flowed beneath the ground, seeming like they were what were stopping it all.
With his sudden shock he turned back around, but to his surprise saw something that hadn’t been there before. A small child stood before him, wearing a fine silk dress, the sleeves overgrown for the little girl, with a hat adorning her head. The top of her face was glared out by the sun casting a shadow, but she was looking up at him with a smile.
“W-what...who...What’s going on?!” the words escaped out of his frozen throat.
“It is not what, but when,” she answered happily. “Beware of what you dream, for certain people may be watching.”
“Are...you saying this is a dream?” he asked skeptically.
“Is it? It’s you, you tell me.”
“Okay, little girl, don’t go all metaphorical on me. Now, where am I and what’s going on?”
She smiled brightly. “I believe you know that answer. Though you deny it, of course.” She laughed. “But you better wake up pretty soon, she’s calling you.”
“Vadolla?” he asked.
She nodded. Turning she began to skip across the sand and finally away, disappearing into nothing. He blinked, and all returned to normal. The bickering of Big T and Goten, the chattering of the girls, everything. He shook his head, shutting his eyes and trying to grasp what happened. Gohan called back to him, but he said for them to continue without him. He went over to Vadolla, while the girls were still trying to snap her out of it. He put his hands on the sides of her face, but she refused to look up at him, continuing to stare down at her feet. He put his hands on her shoulder and shook her slightly, trying to get her attention. But still, she didn’t look up.
Something was caught in the corner of his eye, as if some sort of glitch he would see in a TV screen or something. He turned his head that way, seeing nothing that he didn’t before. But he didn’t hear anything from before, but something else. He heard terrified screams, a voice telling him to get out, get away. He suddenly froze as he heard two intertwined voices, listening clearly what they had to say: “Pawns, puppets in an unlimited universe. The name of his people is fear. They are controlled to do their masters bidding, but is that master a puppet itself in a greater matter? Everything is dust that can be easily blown away at the fingertips of that master, and the one who controls the universal power are pawns to the master.”
A sudden chill came rolling up his spine. He turned back, only to see a darkness consuming, and glowing, but even darker hand coming in front of his face.
He sat up, his face plagued with sweat from his nightmare. Shaking his head, he laughed to the thought that it was a dream. Looking to his clock, he realized that the sun was already up, and opened the shutters in his room. Squinting to the bright light, he still tried to convince himself that the nightmare was nothing, just a...nightmare. But for some odd reason he could face that it was. It had been so real, as if it would really, or did, happen. But he shook his head, turning and stumbling out the door to his kitchen.
He realized then that maybe, since it had been a week since he saw what happened in the third timeline, that he was just having bad dreams about it. It was Clef, after all, and the whole scenario of him just being alive was striking. They didn’t tell any of the others, for they might overreact, and so all the information was to themselves. Maybe that was what was pressuring him so much.
But the nightmare had been so real. And that little girl...
He stopped, shaking his head. “Snap out of it,” he told himself. “It was nothing more than a dream. A stupid dream.”
But what if it wasn’t just a dream? What if it was something more? A premonition, perhaps. But he still didn’t understand how that little girl knew it was a dream. Maybe it was his subconscious, a smaller version of Vadolla. But if it was Vadolla, why would she say she was calling him?
He grinned at his thoughts. “I’ll be sure to stay away from beaches, then.”
He scuffed up to his refrigerator, where he took out a canister of orange juice. Before he could sit down a drink it, though, he stood straight back up in horror as he heard something; something that eerily reminded him of the dream. It was a terrified scream.
He dashed out the door to where it came from, seeing people standing out of their houses to see what happened. He ran into a few things, no paying attention to where he going. But he couldn’t apologize, and the people who’s things he ran into didn’t really want him too, only to find out who screamed. There was a dead silence as he approached Vadolla’s house, the only thing really he could hear was his own footsteps and him calling to her.
The door was locked, but he didn’t hesitate to break it and run inside. Walking past her kitchen and living room, he went to her bedroom where she would be. Trunks didn’t notice her at first, but as he went around the bed he found her in the corner of the room, pale with her eyes shut, and her hands clasped together murmuring something. He went up to her, kneeing down slowly and putting his hands on her shoulders. She stopped whispering and opened her eyes. They were blank, as if the joyfulness of her had been replaced with a sudden horror.
She put her hands on the sides of his face, really a reassurance that he was even there, and finally choked out, “The Sons...W-w-we must g-go to Son Goku’s house. P-please, Trunks, we...we...” Her hands trembled, Vadolla slouching over where she was sitting and her head resting on his shoulder, unconscious.
He didn’t know what to say, what to do at this point. He had know idea how or why she fainted, but for some reason he knew it had to do with them both, with the Son family, and everyone they knew. That was only in his subconscious, however, and took it only as a faint thought.
Trunks tried shaking her shoulders, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. Recapping what she had said, he picked her up and carried her out. Passing the gasping village folk that had accumulated there, he tried to find a place where he could get a running start, soon flying as fast as he could to Goku’s house.
“Uh-huh. Yes, I’ll tell him.”
Opening the screen door, she walked out into the hot July sun, making her way across the lawn to the Gravity Chamber. He was always in there, training and whatnot. It didn’t bug her too much, but just once and a while it would be nice of him to at least take out the garbage. Bra wouldn’t dare touch it, and she was getting tired of doing it all the time. It wasn’t even like Trunks would do it, because he was training too; either with gravity or videogames! Didn’t seem like it would be today either, but she wasn’t going to do it. Not a chance.
She pounded on the door, and after a few seconds the door came open, Vegeta emerging.
“What is it?” he questioned.
“Chi-Chi just called. She said that Goku wants to talk to you, and it’s an emergency,” Bulma answered.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“Sure you are. Look, you can spare one hour away from this thing, can’t you? Besides, I gotta have a word with Chi-Chi about this recipe she gave me.”
“What does he want anyway?”
“She didn’t say. Just that it was an emergency. So, are you going or not?”
“If it’s not relevant then no!”
He was about to shut the door, she grinned menacingly, shaking her head. “I guess if you want meatloaf again.”
Vegeta stopped, turning around slowly. “You wouldn’t dare serve that again!”
“Would I?”
He clenched his fist, storming out of the machine. “Fine, we’re going!”
She chuckled, crossing her arms. Looking up at the bedroom window upstairs, she yelled for Bra, who didn’t answer at first. She picked up a rock and threw it, Bra opening her window and unleashing heavy metal turned to the max into the air.
“Yeah mom?” she shouted down over the noise.
“Get down here, we’re going to the Sons!”
“Yeah, okay,” she replied, shutting her window.
Bulma walked to the open living room window and said, “Trunks we’re going to the Sons!”
He set down his controller suddenly and ran over. “Really? Alright! It’s about time I challenged Goten to a rematch!” Trunks went over to the system and pulled out the plug, running to the kitchen.
“Well, that was easier than I expected,” Bulma stated to herself, shrugging. Usually, she couldn’t get them to go anywhere, but somehow today was a good day.
At the Sons house, everything seemed like the usual. Gohan and Goten were out and about, and Chi-Chi was doing the chores outside for a time. But as she came in, though, she suddenly realized something was wrong. When she was raring to making dinner, she picked up a pan from the countertop. Suddenly, Goku held out a hand and took her wrist, making her stop.
“Don’t cook dinner today, Chi-Chi,” he said, taking his hand away, and continuing to stare blankly ahead of him from where he sat at the kitchen table.
She looked at him with question for a time, setting down the pan and soon sitting next to him. “Is everything alright, Goku? You’ve been acting funny all day.”
“No, I’m alright, Chi-Chi,” he said in a mono tone.
“Well it certainly doesn’t seem that way! Now you tell me what’s wrong! Why can’t I cook, huh?”
He looked up, soon smiling. “Because it would just be a waste of time.”
She stood back up, a shocked look on her face. Goku? Saying cooking was a waste of time? Something was either seriously wrong, or he was just going nuts. “Goku, are you feeling alright? Are you ill?”
He laughed half heartedly. “No, no, I’m fine. It’s just that we don’t need to eat for where we’re going.”
“WHAT?! And who said we were going anywhere?” she argued.
“We will be soon I guess, that’s why we shouldn’t cook dinner now, because we probably won’t have a chance to eat anything.”
“But where are we going, Goku?” she asked.
“Not quite sure yet, but some place safe.”
“From what? What could possibly be so dangerous?” He didn’t answer, and with a moment of thought, her eyes widened, gasping, “You can’t be serious! But it’s...it’s...”
At that moment, they heard a buzzing noise coming from outside, sounding like a car. Looking out the window, they saw it was the Briefs, coming for a visit presumably. Goku stood up, soon making his way outside along with Chi-Chi.
“Hey y’all, we got you’re message!” Bulma said, jumping out of the car. “So whaccha call us for?”
“Yeah really. There was like this totally cool rerun of...” Bra got the cold stare from her father, and she shut up.
“But seriously, why did you call us?”
Goku didn’t answer at first, staring sternly at Vegeta. He went wide-eyed, but soon nodded. Chi-Chi, on the other hand, had to fill in for the rest. “Umm, well, Goku has been acting a little strange lately. He’s says we’re going to go somewhere, but he refuses to tell me where.”
“We’re just waiting for a few more people Chi-Chi, and then I’ll say where we’re going,” Goku replied to her comment.
“A few more people, Goku? And exactly who are these people? I don’t remember calling anyone else.”
“You didn’t have to. They were on their way before you even called them.”
“Huh? And how’s that so?” Bulma asked.
Goku grinned. “You’ll see.”
“Uh...well why don’t we go inside-”
“Wait,” Vegeta said, looking up to his left. “No need. They’re here.”
They all turned their heads in the direction he was staring, seeing a glimmer of light. Before they could say anything more a person came careening down and quickly landing on the ground. It was Trunks, and they all soon saw that he was carrying Vadolla, still unconscious. Swiftly running over, he began to speak.
“I came as fast as I could,” he said.
“Trunks what are you doing here? And what happened to Vadolla?” Bulma asked.
“I don’t know. She just fell unconscious when she woke up in the morning. The reason why we’re here is because...well, she said we should come here. Why, I don’t know, but I just took her word for it.”
“Alright then, let’s go!” Goku said. Everyone stared at him the question and he put his hand behind his head. “Well, uh, it’s all ‘cause of King Kai I’m saying this so...”
“King Kai? Are you serious?” Chi-Chi asked.
“Of course! You didn’t think I made this up on my own, did you?” Everyone sighed in annoyance, thinking that all this time he had gone nuts.
They all turned in Trunks direction, hearing an ear splitting scream. Vadolla had woken up, eyes wide and plagued with terror as she stared in one direction. She began to ramble something, as if it couldn’t escape from being dug in her throat. Finally Trunks set her on her own two feet, but still needing a helping hand to stay up.
“Vadolla, what’s wrong?” Trunks asked, but she did not turn in response. She just continued to stare blankly into the sky, as if seeing something that wasn’t there.
“Run...Must r...” It was like she kept getting cut off, like there was an on/off switch to her voice that someone was toying with.
“What is she mumbling about?” Vegeta stated coldly.
“Quiet Vegeta! She’s trying to say something!” Bulma stated.
“Isn’t that obvious,” Big T said under his breath. Bulma gave him a death stare, and he stood back.
It just seemed as though she was in a complete state of shock, but as things started to happen they all grew stricken with wonder and some even in terror. Vadolla’s eyes began to bleed black, blood dripping from the side of her mouth. Trunks was beginning to stare in horror as soon her eyes were no longer her eyes, but just a swimming puddle of black. Her fair skin began to stain with red, and her hair, as it was touched by it, was beginning to spread to that color.
“Now! Trunks, set her on the ground!” Goku yelled, and coming out of his shock Trunks obeyed.
He set Vadolla on the ground, waiting to see what would happen. Suddenly the ground beneath turned a white, and she finally began to slip through.
“Okay, pick her up before she goes through again,” Goku commanded, and Trunks did so. “Now everyone get in.”
“What? You can’t be serious Kakarotto!” Vegeta shouted.
“I’m dead serious! Now get in before it’s too late!”
“Before what’s too late?” Chi-Chi asked.
“Just get in!” he yelled.
They all did so, every last one of them, until finally Trunks and Vadolla fell in. It was only a matter of moments before the portal shut, but with it the world became cold, fading with it until nothing was left.
Nothing...
***
“Where are we?”
They all stood up, a sudden light caressing their faces with a warm wind. The area was plain, stretching for who-knows-how-long into the horizon. The sky was painted a beautiful violet, but oddly enough it was enough to see as in regular light. The stars were streaked across the sky, looking to be solar systems dotting here and there. They wondered where in the world could they be, and all looked to Goku soon after.
“So, Goku, if you say we were going somewhere, we’re here. Now, WHERE ARE WE?!?” Chi-Chi questioned angrily, knowing Gohan and Goten all had studying to do.
He grinned, putting a hand behind his head. “You know, King Kai didn’t really tell me that.”
Again, everyone sighed in annoyance. But to their surprise, a voice came from behind for their answer.
“You are in Heaven,” the voice answered.
They turned, seeing, what appeared to be, Kaioshin.
“Kaioshin?” Goku asked.
“What do you mean in Heaven? Wouldn’t we be, like, dead?” Bra commented.
“You would be if I hadn’t brought you here,” he stated, walking forward.
“What do you mean by that?” Vegeta questioned.
“First we must encase the girl, incase of any infection to the mind.” He stopped a held out his hand. To Trunks’s state of hesitation, he let Vadolla slip from his arms without a word to be said. With a small speck of light appearing on her forehead, she vanished; no sound, no unexpected movement, just vanished.
Trunks blinked, realizing what had happened. He clenched his fists, looking at Kaioshin. He opened his mouth to shout something, but he held up a hand, making Trunks stall and him continue.
“I put her in a safe place where he may not affect her mind and find this location. You may see her if you wish, but no one is to tell her who you are.”
“Hey, smart guy, she already knows who we are! How can we not tell her?” Big T stated.
“It was evident to erase all memories except for her education up to this point. If she realizes who you are she will know where she is and so it would tell him where to travel to.”
“Okay, for the purpose of us all, who is this him you’re talking about?” Bulma asked.
He narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. “Evil is all that I can describe him as. He takes the souls of those he defeats, keeping him alive until the last. We do not like to say his name, for he really doesn’t have one. But what he goes by is Clef Diamond.”
Trunks’s eyes widened, his hands beginning to shake. He couldn’t believe it. He was alive. Diamond was alive. He shook his head, trying to concentrate on what the others were saying.
“WHAT?! But we destroyed him!” Vegeta shouted.
“Yes, three times over.” They all relaxed to their disbelief, seeing that he had a point to make as he cleared his throat. “What you fought were only clones of him; his shadows, if you would. The real Diamond has been hibernating, taking the souls of which his clones have taken. Finally he decided to come out in the open, knowing that you can’t send minions to do your dirty work for you. That is, unless you want them to get destroyed every time.” He waved his hand, taking one of the galaxies and making is a close-up. “The last one you fought was the most like him, but it was only a sliver. His real power is beyond that of anything we have seen. Take, for instance, your universe.” He pointed to the galaxy, then made it go far out so the galaxy was only a speck in the millions of specks. “Just keep watching. He’s there, right now, devouring everything...”
The specks began to get less and less until finally the screen blanked out. Their eyes widened in horror, and Chi-Chi fell back, fainting.
“Y-y-you’re saying that that whole thing was our universe and it was just zapped off the map, just like that?!” Big T exclaimed.
“Yes, just like that.” He waved his hand again, all specks beginning to blink off the map. “Think of it this way: every millisecond is it’s own timeline. That was only one. Though there are three world timelines, there are timelines of each that cannot be counted. Just imagine how many souls that there are.”
“So, what you’re saying is he’s going to every timeline and taking all the souls from every universe?” Trunks questioned.
“And then times it by three.”
They stood in a moment of silence, shocked by it. Not only that the fact he was alive, but those they had destroyed before were only clones, shadow of this creature. There was this long, darkened time of worry from each of them, until finally someone spoke up.
“So what are we going to do about it?” Vegeta asked, crossing his arms. Everyone turned back to him, surprised that someone asked that. “Well, what? Are we just going to sit here and wait for him to come and kill us or do something about it?”
“All we have left is to wait. He cannot reach us now but he will surely find a way,” Kaioshin replied, walking past them all. “I suggest you train. Though I am not quite sure it will do any good, you might as well do something. As for the rest of you, you may do as you wish. Just think of where you want to be and you shall be there.” He stopped, turning to face them and holding up a hand. “Farwell, warriors. I am sure this will not be the last time we shall meet.” And then, suddenly he disappeared, leaving them in the cold silence once again.
That is, until Bulma and Bra exploded into a shriek of panic, Chi-Chi still fainted, (though, that was a good thing.)
“Oh great Vegeta, now look what you’ve gotten us into!” Bulma yelled.
“Yeah dad, now look at what you’ve gotten us into!” Bra shouted.
“Will you two-” Vegeta began, but was shut up but Bulma and Bra in his face.
“Don’t you interrupt me when I’m in the middle of a sentence, Vegeta!!”
“But-”
“Hey, listen to what she’s got to say for once huh?!?!”
“Yeah, dad!” Big T added in, just wanting to say something.
“YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!!!!” Bulma and Bra screamed in unison, and he backed away quickly.
But the rest of them stayed in silence, thinking. Goku shook his head, sitting down quickly in his non-belief to the situation. Gohan sighed, followed by Goten. Trunks remained silent, feeling slightly ashamed. He still couldn’t face that he had denied the fact Diamond was alive, and now this had happened. He had been so naive, so stupid. He felt a hand on his shoulder and quickly turned to find Gohan smiling slightly.
“Hey, he said we could go anywhere, right? Why don’t you go check on her or something?” he suggested.
Trunks nodded. “Good idea. I’ll do that,” he replied. He shut his eyes, thinking quickly of Vadolla. Suddenly he vanished before their eyes, and Bulma and Bra gasped.
“Oh my gawd, Trunks got vaped!” Bra shrieked, and then both she and Bulma began to run around screaming. Vegeta sighed, shaking his head.
Looking up to the sky, he pointed to them and shouted. “Hey, got any tranquilizers?”
“Vegeta I resen-” Bulma began, but was suddenly stopped when both she and bra fell to the ground, set unconscious with little sparkles over their head.
Vegeta crossed his arms, looking up and mouthing the word ‘Thanks’.
“So now what do we do?” Goku questioned to no one in particular.
“Well, I guess we should take Kaioshin’s word for it. Train, I guess,” Gohan said.
“Ahem, not to get on anyone’s nerves but how in the world are we gonna beat him in the first place?” Big T asked. “He’s like the macho-supreme of bad guys, y’know? We had the worst time of beating his shadow forms, and now to learn he’s stronger than all of them combined? It’s madness, I tell ya!”
“You know you could’ve just stayed at home and disappeared with the rest of the universe,” Goten stated.
“Hey, shut up!” he snapped back.
“Make me!”
“Will you both just shut up?! I‘ll blast you both into oblivion if I have to!” Vegeta shouted, and they did so.
“Uh, Vegeta, I don’t think you can do that,” Goku stated.
“And why not?!”
“Because we’re already in Heaven.”
Vegeta growled in anger, clenching his fists. Shaking his head, he shut his eyes, imagining a place where he could train away from these bumbling idiots. Suddenly, he, too, vanished.
“Hey, dad, wait up!” Big T stated. He shut his eyes, imagining himself next to Vegeta, where he ended up vanishing.
“Well, guess we should be getting to training too, huh?” Goku stated.
“Yeah, but do you think it’s safe to leave them all here like that? I mean, what if mom wakes up?” Gohan asked.
“She’ll know where to find us,” Goku reassured, and Gohan and Goten both nodded. When they all shut their eyes, they thought of a place to train, and disappeared as well, the dots continuing to blink out of existence until finally there was only a few left to sustain.
Part Two
Her eyes fluttered open, blinking in the bright light. Her soundings were almost illuminating, lying on her side with her hand under her head. A soft breeze hit her face as she sat up, seeing the branches of the tree next to her sway with it. She stood up, not seeming worried at all. In fact, she couldn’t remember why she was there, or how she had gotten there, or even the events leading up to it. All she could remember was what her name was, not even who she was, what she was. She turned, looking around the tree. It was dark over there, with a soft reflection of the items facing it, but not herself. She narrowed her eyes as she thought she saw something else that was not near her.
A ghostly image, it was a person, one looking her age, or so she could remember. His face was blank with sad looking eyes, sitting on his knees. As she went over, she knelt to his level, and he sat back as she reached out her hand, coming up against a glass surface.
“Um, hello,” she said, surprised that he was actually there, and he tilted his head, looking in wonder of how she could see him. “Who are you?”
“Uh...Smith,” he said quickly. Smith? Who the heck did he come up with that for a name?
“Oh, why hello, Smith. My name is Vadolla, or at least I think.” She tilted her head slightly, smiling. “Say, Smith, do you know how I got here?”
He didn’t answer, but his eyes grew cold as ice with a shock. He stood up and stepped back, disappearing out of her sight, but not out of his. He gripped his jacket, feeling his heart freeze with a sudden sorrow. She didn’t remember, she didn’t remember anything. How it was heart wrecking to see her like that, not knowing even your own name. And yet, he couldn’t remind her either, which was even worse. Well, maybe he could speak to her without reminding her of anything. It would be hard, but he could probably do it.
He swallowed hard, stepping forward and sitting back down. Smiling he said, “You’ve been asleep for a while, I guess.”
“I have? How long?”
“Well, as long as I’ve been here, which is as long as you’ve been here.”
“How did I get here?”
He swallowed again, laughing half-heartedly. “That I’m not quite sure of.”
“Really? Strange, I can’t remember a thing.”
“Maybe it’s for the best,” he said in almost a mumble, lowering his head.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
She stared at him for a while, smiling softly soon after. “I can remember some things, but vaguely.”
“Really?” he asked intently.
“Yes. I remember a few words and phrases, but I can’t remember what relevance they had.”
“Like what, for instance?”
“Well like ‘Saiya-jin’ or ‘Prophecy Stone’. They keep repeating in my head, but I can’t place my finger on what they are.”
“Maybe you should try thinking of some other words,” he stated, thinking that maybe Clef was planting them in her mind so he could recover where the Prophecy Stone was.
“I did have a few other words, but they don’t keep repeating. I just thought of them once or twice.”
“What words were they?”
“Umm...I think it’s a phrase really. Um, it’s ‘Marry me’.” Trunks’s eyes widened, not believing that she remembered that. “I think they were said to me once, but I don’t know what it means. Do you know what it means?”
He turned around, putting his back up against the glass and running his hand through his hair, sighing. “Yeah, I know what it means.”
“Is it something bad?” she asked. “Because ‘merry’ means ‘happy’. I don’t think it’s something bad, is it?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, no it doesn’t.” He shut his eyes, sighing deeply again. Suddenly, his mind came to a flashback, remembering the moment of which he said it...
They walked along a street one day, sharing an umbrella Trunks had bought with the little money he had with him. His whole right side was soaked because he had given most of it to Vadolla, thought he didn’t know it himself. She smiled, moving them under an overhead ledge where the rain slid off. There was barely any space for them not to get wet from the pouring rain, but it was better than the small umbrella. They had been out on their usual lunch breaks, and the sky was as clear as any day. But after a half-an-hour it start to pour, and they were anywhere but near where they worked.
Vadolla smiled and laughed slightly as she saw Trunks right side, seeing it soaking wet. Trunks grinned in somewhat embarrassment, wiping the dripping water of his jacket with his other dry sleeve.
“Hey, don’t do that!” she said, taking the scarf around her neck and wiping his shoulder and arm dry. He made a face of question, soon grabbing her wrist gently.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said.
“Sure I do. I mean, your soaking wet! You’re gonna catch cold or something.”
He laughed, smiling. “I think you’re taking on some of our lesser traits.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You said ‘gonna’,” he stated. “Though, I’m not complaining.”
“Of course you’re not,” she said jokingly, turning his head and wiping the side of her face. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“You’re right,” he said, putting a hand on the side of her face. He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, smiling. “Nothing can be wrong about you.”
She turned, putting her hands on her face and blushing slightly. “You know, you really shouldn’t do that.”
“What?”
“I can’t kiss you, or anyone for that matter, until I’m married. It’s my law, and a Lemiren law. I mean, sure, you can kiss me on the forehead and hand and all, and I can hug you, but I just don’t want you to get the idea you can kiss me.”
“You know, my mom says the same thing.”
“She does?”
“Yeah, she says that I shouldn’t kiss someone until I know I want to spend the rest of my life with them. Kind of like the first kiss, last kiss kind of thing. I believe it, sure.”
She smiled. “Well, that’s good. You’re a real good person Trunks.”
He swallowed slightly, turning away as he put his hands in his pockets. Vadolla stared out, smiling as she put the scarf in the pocket of her coat. She had to turn again, however, when her face turned to surprised as she saw Trunks had taken it. He smiled at her softly, soon taking a deep breath as he got on one knee. The pouring rain and the busy street kind of blocked out his voice, but Vadolla blushed anyway as she saw him place a ring in her hand, closing it around it.
“It’s kind of a weird time to ask this but since we’re on the subject to marriage, will you?” he asked. She didn’t know what to say, and he shrugged. “I was gonna asked you anyway, but I didn’t know when. Seeing how this might be a good time I thought I should. So, will you marry me?”
Vadolla lifted her hand to her face slowly, opening her hand to see an odd stone in the shape of an oval encased slightly in a gold ring. It glowed brightly in it’s smallness, but not so much that it was annoying, but beautifully. She looked to him, and he grinned, holding up his right hand. She saw that on the side of his Prophecy Stone, out of the smoothness a piece had been chipped from it.
She dropped to her knees, about to burst into tears. She gripped the ring in her hand, soon jumping forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. “You know you still can’t kiss me until the wedding.”
“Does that mean yes?” he asked.
“Of course it does!”
“...Thank you, Vadolla. I don’t care if I kiss you or if you step on my foot at the ceremony, I’m just happy your with me. That you want to always be with me, as I with you.”
She backed away, Trunks standing and helping her up. She hugged him once again, looking out and seeing the rain was now a little drizzle. She pulled out the mostly dry scarf and wrapped it around her head, waving as she walked away.
“See you again tomorrow, Trunks?”
“You bet! Same time, same place,” he said, smiling.
“Bye, dear Trunks, see you tomorrow!”
“Bye, Vadolla!” He put his hand over his mouth and whipped it over his head, waving goodbye.
“Smith? Is something wrong?”
He blinked, turning back around to face her. She looked at him with question, her hand still against the glass. “Uh, yeah, what is it?” he asked.
“Do you know what it means?”
“What?”
“What ‘marry me’ means. Do you know?”
“Uh yes, I do. It mean...” He didn’t know if he should say it or not, trying to remember if it would bring back memories. No doubt it would, and he frowned, wanting so much to say it but knew he couldn’t. “It means when someone is happy, and they want you to be as well.”
“Oh, is that all? Okay then.” She shook her head, looking to the ground. “I could’ve sworn it meant something else, but oh well.” She looked up at him, smiling. “Say, Smith, have you ever been in love before?”
He looked up at her with question, stuck and not quite sure how to answer that.
***
Vegeta cracked his knuckles, rolling his head back. Imaging up a few obstacles, he turned Super Saiya-jin once again, beginning his training once again. A few minutes ago there had been a flaw in his sons actions, unable to control the things that came after him and causing it to run into Vegeta. Of course, that mistake would never have to be repeated, because he had sent Trunks over to his own little part where he couldn’t distract Vegeta.
However, as he was about to make his move, something came shooting at him, Vegeat just barely backing away. He looked in anger to where it came from, probably from Big T.
“How many times to I have to tell you to-” Vegeta began to shout, but stopped when he saw the figure standing before him.
Trunks came floating by, waving a hand as he past. “Oh, hey Piccolo,” he said, disappearing well after.
“Kind of weak training with unmoving object, don’t you think, Vegeta?”
“You were dead, weren’t you, green freak?” he inquired, crossing his arms and smirking.
“I was, and I wouldn’t be here right now if Kaioshin hadn’t brought me here. I was dead, but Diamond hadn’t absorbed my soul yet.”
“Shame he did. I could’ve taken Diamond on all by myself.”
“Even you know you couldn’t. you’re going to need all the help you can get.”
“Well, want to see who’s the better?”
“I’ve got nothing better to do with my time,” he stated, throwing off his cape and hat.
“Very well.” There was a long pause as they glared at each other. Piccolo got in his fighting stance, while Vegeta just stood there, his arms continuing to be crossed.
The first move was suppose to be made by Piccolo, but he stopped in wonder as Vegeta crouched over, shouting in anger and he held is head. He turned, Bulma staring at him with a death look, a frying pan she had thought up in her hand. Pan was behind her, her eyes narrow with a cold stare as well.
“How dare you leave me there by myself, Vegeta! Do you know how long it took me to find you?!”
“Yeah dad!”
“I don’t know, but I don’t care, woman! I have more important things to attend to right now!”
“Oh no you don’t!” she yelled, taking his ear and pinching it tight.
“Ah, what are you doing?!”
“What do you think I’m doing, idiot?!” she snapped back. “I’m gonna make you pay for what you did!”
“Like what? What could possibly make me pay?”
“This is Heaven, I’ll think of something! Maybe even,” she glared at him, a wide menacing smile coming across her face, “make you watch that show!”
“No!! Not that, anything but that!”
“Yes, that, dad! We’ll make you watch the show Big T liked to watch when he was a baby!”
“NO!!!!” he looked angrily back at Piccolo, who was chuckling. He pointed to him and mouthed the words ‘I’m gonna kick your ass, freak! You just wait! I’ll be back!’ With that, Vegeta, Bulma and Bra all vanished. Trunks came floating back, a puzzled look on his face.
“Hey, where did dad go?” he asked.
“He went with your mother,” he replied, picking up his cape and hat.
“Really? Why?” His eyes brightened, a wide grin on his face when he didn’t answer. “You mean she went to go torture him by making him watch the show with those multicolored guys?! Oh cool, I gotta see this!” With that he disappeared, going to see how that would all turn out.
In another place, about the same time as all this went on, Goku, Gohan, and Goten all trained as hard as they could. Gohan and Goten both did the rock routine, where one would throw rocks at the other for the other to dodge it. Goku did his own training, seeing how much gravity he could withstand an train under that. It was unlimited here, so as he thought of any number the gravity became it.
Though they each did different things, they thought of the same thing: Who were they going to beat Clef Diamond? He was defeated before by his own self, but now he wasn’t here, and the Diamond he fought was only a sliver of the real one’s power? A sliver? It made them wonder how anything could be so strong, how it could absorb everything just like that. He must’ve had some other form to help him, anything. Maybe he absorbed the power which came with it, but how was he so strong to begin with?
It didn’t matter, though. Nothing did, and nothing would, unless they defeated him.
But how could they if hey didn’t even know what they were up against? What was his power level, and what could he do to fight? What were his techniques, his fighting strategies? Did he have any? They had no idea, and wouldn’t know until he came.
“Hey Gohan?”
“Yeah, Goten?”
“Do you think we’ll live through this?”
Gohan stopped throwing the rocks, soon sighing and flipping it up in the air. “Well, I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. Guess we only got time.”
“Hey Gohan?”
“Yeah, Goten?”
“When is he gonna get here?”
“I don’t know, Goten. What’s with all the questions?”
“I don’t know...” He dodged a few more rocks, then continued. “Hey Gohan?”
“What, Goten?” he said in annoyed tone.
“You think mom’s gonna be mad at us for fighting with the bad guy?”
He grinned. “Well, maybe me. But who said you were fighting?”
“Huh? What do you mean?! I’m gonna fight, I’m gonna fight!” he complained.
“Sure you are kid.”
“I’m gonna fight!!” he shouted.
“Alright, alright you can fight.”
“Yeah, you bet I am!!” he yelled for joy. A rock suddenly hurdled towards him, hitting him square in the forehead. Gohan fell back, balling in laughter.
“But with that catch, I might need to bring it up with dad!” he laughed. Goten glared at him angrily, forming a rock in his hand. As Gohan sat back up, he threw it at him, hitting his head. Goten then, too, fell back laughing.
“Hey, nice catch, Saiya-wuss!”
“What did you do that for?”
“Because it was pay back...and it was hilarious!”
“Hey Goten?”
“Yeah, Gohan?”
“Shut up.”
“Okay,” he said, stop laughing and standing up. With that, they continued on with their training.
He still didn’t know how to answer it. He remained stunned at she asked that, blinking only a few times in his shock. Narrowing his eyes, he asked something that just came out, not really thinking about it.
“Why would you ask something like that?” Trunks questioned.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “You seem like you have been.”
“And how’s that?”
“Your eyes seem sad. You were hurt, weren’t you?”
“What’s it to you?” he stated. He was surprised by himself that he said that.
“Well, I was just trying to start a conversation. To much of a touchy subject, huh?”
“No, it’s not,” he said quickly. “It’s just I’m not used to someone asking me that.”
“Oh, is that all?” she said, smiling. “So, what happened?”
“...She was taken away from me,” he stated. “It was a safety precaution, and she was forced to forget...everything.”
“Oh, I’m sure she didn’t forget everything,” she said, trying as if to reassure him. “She probably remembered you. You seem like a nice person, and no one forgets them.” She laughed slightly, looking to the ground in front of her. “I don’t want to be nosy, but what happened to her?”
“Why do you want to know?” he asked.
She shrugged again. “Like I said, conversation. I like talking to you, for you seem to be the only one I can talk to.”
“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” he said. “But what happened to her...Well, there was someone after her and her life was in danger, as well as others. The only way to stop her from being found was to erase her memories, so she could be safe.”
She felt her head pound once, her heart seeming to skip a beat. She narrowed her eyes, grabbing the collar of her shirt and turning away, putting her back against the glass. He stood up, noticing something was up.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“It’s nothing, Smith. I just thought of something. Don’t know what, but it was probably nothing important.”
Trunks stepped back, thinking. Before he could come to a conclusion, a hand was on his shoulder. He quickly jumped, relaxing as he saw the figure of Kaioshin.
“You’ve done well, Trunks,” he said. “You’ve taken this very well, though you did cut it close.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I had to explain myself somehow.”
“It is alright. I’m just here to remind you to watch what you say, so you don’t say things like that again.”
“I won’t, I swear!”
“Good. That is all I have to say.” He waved his hand, vanishing into the darkness around.
“Smith?” Trunks turned back, seeing that Vadolla had turned back to face him. He reemerged back into her sight, where she smiled. “Tell me, Smith, do you want to carry this sorrow?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, sitting back down.
“I can get rid of it for you, if you like.”
He narrowed his eyes with thought. “How so?”
“Well, I can get rid of your sorrow if you like. I can make you forget about it, so you won’t be so sad anymore.”
“And how can you do this?”
“Well, it’s an ancient technique. I can’t remember where from, but I learned how and know how. Just put your hands against the glass, okay?” He did what he was asked, and she put her hands against it as well. “Now, all you have to do is put your forehead against it as well and poof! all your troubles are gone!”
“I don’t know about this,” he said skeptically.
“Ah, c’mon, how can it hurt any?”
“...I suppose you’re right.”
“Alright, then put your head against the glass!”
He shut his eyes, slowly putting it near. She smiled, shutting her eyes as well. As she slowly came near, a spot on her forehead beginning to glow a bright bluish white. The refection began to do the same on his forehead, but as she almost touched, he pulled himself away.
“No, I won’t do it.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
He stood up, his throat beginning to choke up as he ran his hand through his hair and paced back and forth. Vadolla stood as well, looking puzzled.
“You were convincing before, and you still are. But I can’t do it, I can’t forget, no matter what the cost.”
“What are you talking about, Smith? Do I know you or something? Do you know why I’m here?”
He nodded his head. “Yes, I do. And I’ve always known you, as long as my life truly gave meaning. You knew the person I speak of and you always gave me faith to believe that things could be better. But right now...I can’t tell you where you are, though I so what to I can’t.” He look a deep breath, laughing slightly. “Look at me. Father would kill me if he saw I was being so depressed and sappy like this.”
Vadolla looked at him sympathetically, smiling. “I’m sorry I can’t remember, but I promise I’ll try.”
“No, it’s okay! Please, it’s important that you don’t.”
She was about to ask why, but saw in the deepness of his eyes that it was very sincere. She nodded, putting hand against the glass. “Do you know when I can?”
He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I don’t. But I promise I’ll tell you when you can.”
“...Thank you.”
“You really should get some rest, take your mind off from remembering.”
She nodded. “Alright. Maybe I’ll wonder around here for a bit or something.” Trunks turned, disappearing from her sight. He stopped, however, when she quickly continued. “Hey, wait! When will you come back?”
“Soon, I’ll be back soon. I’m just going to get something to eat, alright?”
“Okay. But please come back soon.”
With that he disappeared into the darkness. Vadolla fell to her knees, blinking a few times with thought. As she looked back to the glowing surroundings, she thought she might climb the tree. So, standing, she walked over, grabbing a overhead branch. She flipped up onto it with ease, and she thought if she had done this before.
Her heart skipped another beat, her eyes turning shaded with darkness until the very whiteness had turned black...
***
Trunks had wished himself to where the others were, knowing that they were probably eating lunch. Of course, they were, so he sat at the large table mostly everyone else was and thought himself up a cup of coffee. Goten, Gohan, and Big T were all playing cards, as Goku and Vegeta were chowing down on food. Apparently, Bulma had finished her punishment, and was now discussing recipes with Chi-Chi and Bra. Piccolo meditated on the sidelines, as he always did.
“Hey, Trunks, wanna join in?” Big T asked, but Trunks did not answer, continuing to think deeply.
“Something wrong, Trunks?” Gohan asked when he had not answered. But still, he remained silent.
“Man, he’s totally zoned out,” Goten stated.
“Got that right.” Big T leaned over from where he sat across, waving a hand in front of his face. “Hey, Trunks? You there, bro? HELLO, anyone home in there?”
He about screamed when Trunks suddenly reached out, grabbing his hand to stop. But he still continued to stare at the same spot on the table, thinking. He let Big T’s hand go, (which he rapidly snapped back to him), taking another drink from his coffee.
“Dude, what’s up with you?” Big T questioned, rubbing his hand from the beat red mark on it.
“Yeah, what happened, Trunks?” Gohan asked.
“Yeah really, you seem like you’ve gotten beat in a match and are really ticked off about it,” Goten stated.
Trunks hesitated at first, but finally said. “She can’t remember anything.”
“Well, yeah, Trunks, isn’t that the obvious!” Big T said.
“Kaioshin told us she’d lose her memory,” Gohan replied. They all stared with question for a moment for him to give an explanation, but had to figure it out for themselves. “Wait, something’s bothering you about that, isn’t it?”
“She can’t remember anything, nothing!” he said, putting his head down on the table and slamming his fist. “She can’t even remember simple phrases...”
“Yeah, something wrong about that?” Goten asked.
“I had to lie, guys, I had to lie about everything. She asked me what it was, expecting me to answer truthfully but I had to lie.”
“So what?” Big T asked.
“What if she doesn’t remember after this is over? What if she can’t get her memory back? She’ll only know me as a lyre, and how could she possibly believe anything I say anymore if she finds out I did?”
“Well, I’m sure Kaioshin wouldn’t erase her memory if he couldn’t bring it back,” Gohan reassured.
“Do you, Gohan? Do you know? Even if it threatened our lives if he hadn’t?”
No one answered, silent for a time as the others continued to chatter on. Big T suddenly leaned back in his chair, a smirk across his face.
“Well this is why I date normal people, y’know? I mean, I got Pan, and what do you have? A psycho half Saiya-jin lady with a bunch of problems.” Trunks lifted his head slightly, his eyes turning dark. “If you ask me, I think you should just forget her and get someone else with less of a tendency to destroy the universe.”
The table suddenly jumped as Trunks stood, reaching over and grabbing Big T forcefully by the collar of his shirt. He gritted his teeth, his eyes narrow with hatred. Vegeta and Goku both stopped eating in surprise, Chi-Chi, Bulma, and Bra going wide-eyed in shock.
“Take that back,” he hissed.
“H-hey now Trunks, old buddy, old pal, don’t do anything rash,” Big T stuttered. Trunks only gripped his shirt tighter.
“Take it easy, Trunks! He was only joking!” Gohan tried to cover, but Trunks did not answer.
“Unless you want to become dust particles, bro, I suggest you take that back!” he threatened, and Big T’s eyes enlarged, knowing that he wasn’t joking.
“Alright, alright, I take it back, I take it back! Sorry!”
Trunks hesitated for a moment, but soon threw him back into his chair. He sat back down slowly, the others staring at him cautiously so he wouldn’t make another move. He picked back up his coffee, shutting his eyes and continuing to think.
As they all thought everything was calm again, he suddenly spat it out, spreading it out across the table. He touched his mouth, seeing the red liquid on his finger tips. He looked to his coffee seeing that it was black, unable to cast a reflection as if had before. Looking at the splatters on the table he saw, as well as the rest of them, the liquid accumulate back into one puddle. He stood up suddenly, knocking the rest of it over accidentally.
Everyone stared at him, wondering what it was. He looked at them and then back to the liquid, seeing the rest accumulating.
“It’s blood,” he stated. The rest of them stood, Chi-Chi gasping. Suddenly, yet again, she fainted.
“How the heck...?!” Big T exclaimed, a grotesque look on his face.
“What do you mean it’s blood?! That’s impossible!” Vegeta said.
“It is not impossible,” a familiar voice said. They looked to their side, seeing Kaioshin walking towards them. “It is a sign that he is coming. He also feeds off hatred, and so his signs come where hatred is. But how this can be so...” He contemplated for a moment or so, soon looking squarely at them. “The girl!” He turned quickly, vanishing. The other rapidly followed after him, leaving the splatters on the table to gain strength.
As Chi-Chi quickly awoke, she found that they were gone. She looked to the table, her mouth opening to scream. There, a black mist swirled in circles around one area, where the blood spread and lengthened, taking shape. As the mist separated, a shadow stood where the blood was, taking on a pale armored figure. It chuckled, turning his head slowly to face her with a wide smirk on its face. She screamed bloody murder, getting up and running away. She vanished, going to where they would be.
He shook his head slowly, gripping his right hand. It glowed an evil green and black color, running through the gold of his armor and into the stone in his chest plate. “Stupid fools. If only they would learn that they would suffer a much less painful death if they just gave up.” With that, the area around dimmed into darkness, the figure doing the same.
“How could this have happened?!”
Kaioshin leaned down to the choking Vadolla, who had fallen from the tree. The others had been allowed into the confined glass area, just as long as they did not touch her. He put a hand just over her forehead, trying to seeing why this was all happening.
“What’s wrong with her?” Goku asked.
“She remembered something,” he answered. He looked up, staring over to Trunks with question. “Did you do this?”
“What, no! I didn’t remind her of anything, I swear!”
“Well, she seems to have remembered briefly of something you told her, but that’s not what caused this.” He blinked a few times, nodding his hand once and standing back up. “She remembered something about climbing a tree.”
“What? How could that cause her to do this?!” Vegeta questioned.
“It’s happened a while ago, as I presume. She had remembered it in her head.” He turned, narrowing his eyes. “You were there are well, Trunks. You spoke to her about that being the last of her mind. It was the only place where Diamond did not affect her?”
They all turned to Trunks, who hung his head. “Yeah. It happened when I went into her mind the time Clef Diamond had ripped the Stone out of her hand. It was the last thing she remembered, and the only place she could talk to me.”
Big T ran over to him, grabbing him by his jacket and shouting, “You’re saying that this is all because you went into her head?! You’ll kill us all, man!”
“Hmm...However, that does not explain the face why there are signs...”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Gohan asked.
“He might of affected her mind in some way, but that would not tell him where we are. Unless...” He gasped, his sudden realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. “It’s a diversion!”
“What is?” Goku asked.
“This is! How could I have been so naive! He already knew where we were!”
“What are you saying?!” Vegeta yelled.
He did not answer because of his shock, but he did not need to. Chi-Chi came screaming behind them, running up to Goku in distress.
“I-I-It’s...I-It’s...!” she tried to say, but she was too stricken with terror to say it. her face was pale, paler than any of them had seen. Her hair had grown slightly white, her eyes dilated in horror.
“Chi-Chi, where is he?” Goku asked urgently, and she slowly pointed in the direction she came.
“He’s in the cafeteria place?” Goten asked. She nodded her head in response.
“You get out of here Chi-Chi. You too, Bulma an Bra.”
“Don’t worry, I will take them someplace safe,” Kaioshin stated.
“Alright. Goten, you stay with your mother.”
“Ah, but dad!”
“No buts, Goten, just do it!”
“You stay here to, son,” Vegeta said, referring to Big T.
“But-” Big T began, but was shot down by a stare from him. “Yes, dad.”
“Alright, let’s go!”
With that, they all vanished, except for one. While the others had either left with Kaioshin or gone to fight Diamond, he thought he’d do one last thing. Vadolla had stopped choking, but was unconscious nonetheless. Quickly going over, he knew it no longer mattered if he kept the truth of his name or not. He leaned over, putting a hand on the side of her face and kissing her quickly on the forehead. He couldn’t leave unless he kept his promise, even if it was only on memory of who he really was. Closing his eyes, he thought to join the battle, vanishing along with the others to the one battle, the last battle, they would ever face.
But, in her stillness, her fingers began to twitch, soon digging deep into the soft dirt ground...
Part Three
Standing in a dark abyss their eyes wandered, looking to find the entity known as Clef Diamond. The area they were in was no longer the place that was once bright. Instead, the place was like one large black plant, vines intertwining and to the table they had once sat. The ceiling seemed endless by sight, but as they looked ahead they knew otherwise. In the center, however, came down a large bunch of slick vines, wrapping around until it came onto the mound that had been the table, where it went back to the floor. A chilling crying echo rang through the place, and as they looked closely they saw that the floor, walls, and the center pillar was not vine at all...
The floor and walls were connecting arms, and the center was composed of the faces of hundreds, thousands...
As they slowly approached it, they saw a dim, slowly flashing light come from the center. It gave off a cold, dark, evil presence, and they had no doubt that it was part of him. Piccolo was the first to get near it, puzzled by the very sight of it. The others stood behind, waiting to see what would happen next. Trunks was the farthest behind, and yet it might have been a good thing, for no one would see his expression when he heard the voice.
'Do not approach it...'
Trunks turned, thinking he heard it from standing right next to him. But there was no one, because everyone was in front of him. He ignored it, however, and took a step closer.
'No, no!'
It was as if a child was saying it. He turned around again, but still saw no one. He shook his head, taking another step.
'Will you just listen to me for once?'
For once? Who was this person? He finally took the voice’s word for it, though. Staying still, he just watched, waiting to see what happened.
Piccolo was about to reach forward when he was stopped. The dim light grew brighter, staying in one color. A green and black, it began to move. Piccolo stood back, but he was too late to get out of the way when a hand reached forward. Though Piccolo was dead as they all knew, the hand burned like hydrochloric acid as another emerged.
A pale face formed out of the pillar, glaring with its dark red and empty eyes and a menacing grin on its face. Following was its red hair, the dark vine like pillar molding back and forming a clad dark-blue armor. A red stone showed through, glowing violently as the light in its hand did the same.
As the dust of the once standing Piccolo hit the floor, Diamond flexed his hand, moving with an afterimage, a testimony of his power, feeling the power of his newest victim flow into the stone in his chest. He looked up at them all, chuckling slightly to himself. He held out his hand, his palm turning a black glowing essence.
“So...Who’s next?”
“Why you son of a....!” Gohan suddenly stated, charging forward.
'Stop him!' the voice shouted suddenly, and Trunks had nothing else but to react as a reflex.
“Stop, Gohan!” he yelled, but it was already to late.
As Gohan threw a punch to hit Diamond, he suddenly went through him, hitting the ground behind, cold. His soul was sucked back into Clef as his mist being was brought back to him, Clef sighing in annoyance. Leisurely he stepped forward, waving a hand as the others stepped back.
“I knew I should have said something about that. Oh well,” he shrugged.
“W-what did you do to him?!” Goku questioned angrily.
He laughed once, taking it as a joke that they didn’t get it. “I took his soul.”
They froze with a sudden horror, Clef laughing with amusement. “Yes, funny isn’t it, that the last forms of myself you could actually hit. Unfortunately for you, I have no physical form, and any time you touch me I take your soul.” He looked back to Gohan’s corpse frowning. “It’s a pity, no less. I really wanted to kill you all with my own two hands but it seems I have to kill you first and then melt your soul. Of course, you already knew that, considering what happened to you comrade, eh?” He turned back, grinning with a look of idea in his eyes. “Though, I could have a little fun before I do that.”
“What do you mean by that?!” Vegeta questioned.
“Heh...You’ll soon see.”
Clef raised his right hand to the sky, his the light shook like electricity into the endless ceiling. Soon enough it came back down, slamming into the ground in three different black circles. Like an dark ooze three creatures emerged, taking form. One of them roared, sending a great echoing through the surroundings. Another, being the average height, pulls razors out of its wrist, holding them in between each finger. And the other, standing calm, just crossed its arms, grinning.
“These are my Sin Monsters. They take on the traits that you all share, reflecting on all the sins you have done in your lifetime. Let me introduce you.” Clef moved his hand to the one with the razor blades. “This fine sin represents hatred, anger, which shall be yours, boy. The other, as you could not have guessed, was fit for our Saiya-jin prince.” It was kind of obvious. Though it was basically the inverted colors of Vegeta, it looked exactly like him in every aspect. Whether it be the hair not the armor, everything. He moved his hand over to the other, which was the one that looked the most like a monster. It was overly large, about twenty-feet tall with small slits for eyes. Clef himself seemed annoyed by the sight. “And this, I am unfortunate to say, is the other. It is based off from Goku’s gluttony.”
“Me hungry!” it said in a small voice.
Vegeta cracked up laughing, Goku looking puzzled. “Kind of reminds you of Buu, huh?” Goku inquired.
“You should not laugh, Vegeta, for your Sin Monster has all the sins you have gotten in your life,” Clef stated.
“And what ones are those?”
“All of them, actually. Anyway,” Clef snapped his arms towards them. “Sin Monsters, kill them!”
The monsters lunged forward with incredible speeds, casting the fist blow on all of them. Goku managed to dodge the slow moving tub of blubber in it’s semi-slowness, cutting it severely close. All the while it chanted ‘Me hungry, me hungry!’. Vegeta was countering every move it did, but only because it was him. Trunks, on the other hand, was getting beat. He could not dodge it without getting hit.
He his face slammed into the ground again, the creature was about to throw one razor blade into his back, but he turned out just in time. He got up again, but was smacked yet again into the wall. As he struggled to get up, he saw Clef’s evil grin face at him, Trunks gritting his teeth in anger.
'Do not get angry!' the voice spoke.
“Well...what else do you expect me to do?!” he breathed back, surprised that he was actually talking to it.
'It wants you to feel hatred; it lives off of it. You will not win if you keep it up.'
Trunks jumped away as the creature dived at him with a knife. It missed him, lunging it into the wall. The wall screeched, the creature ripping the blade out and turning back to Trunks.
“What do you expect me to do then?!”
'...Think of why you fight...Think of what reasons you continue by...'
“Because I want to help everyone?”
'Not exactly, but you’re on the right track...'
“...Because I want to protect those I care about...?”
'Bingo, smart guy...'
“How will that help me?”
The creature came towards him, shouting a battle cry. Desperately he help up his hands, stopping it from putting the knife in his face. He grabbed the creatures wrist, it hissing madly. But suddenly it stood back, screaming in pain as its hands began to deteriorate. Trunks looked at his hands in surprise, wondering how that could be.
'That’s why...You fight evil with the exact opposite...'
Trunks understood, and with it he charged at it. He reached out it hand and put it on it’s face, the creature crying in pain as it began to crumble to dust. Trunks stood back as it tumbled towards him, but soon turning into nothing. He looked over to Goku’s Sin Monster and wondered if it would have the same affect. Running over he quickly flew up, jumping at it and putting his hands over its eyes. It screeched the same shout, beginning to fall into a pile of jelly. He jumped away as it tumbled into the ground, it’s remains soaking into the dark ground until it was no more. Trunks jumped over to Vegeta, who’s Sin had him in head lock. Trunks put his hands around its neck, the Sin Monster soon losing its grip on Vegeta and bursting into flames. Rapidly enough it burned to ash, and, as the other Sin Monsters had done, soaked away into the floor.
He smiled with his victory, panting for breath. Goku and Vegeta did the same, trying to regain some energy to fight Clef. As Trunks blinked, he turned to face Clef, but was instead thrown across the room and into a wall, where he made an imprint in the limbs. Clef held his hand tight out, his power swelling through his arm. His eyes were pitch black now, narrow with a green outline. He gritted his teeth with a sort of growl, more infuriated than anyone had ever seen.
“I should have had my shadows kill you a long time ago, hybrid. I will not spare you any longer than necessary. You would not believe how much you are a pest to me, in need of being exterminated.” He walked with his triple afterimage, coming face-to-face with Trunks. He wrapped the dark glowing hand around his neck, tightening it.
“I...thought you said...you couldn’t touch anyone...without taking their soul...” he choked out.
“Well, I never said the Stones couldn’t touch you.”
“The...Stones...?!”
“Yes, the Stones. I forgot to mention that. See while you were fighting my shadows I traveled around the timelines collecting all of the Prophecy Stone. I have all but two.” He took his other hand a lifted it slightly, Trunks right hand bring forced to turn over. Clef smirked, chuckling. “And look at this, you have the other for me. Soon as I find the witch my collection will me complete.”
Trunks’s eyes narrowed, gritting his teeth. “She’s not...a witch...”
He began to laugh madly, tightening his grip around his neck. “You would say that wouldn’t you? Your precious Vadolla.” He stared into his eyes until he reached his soul, looking ominously. “Then again, maybe I should keep you alive just to see her suffer, to see her last moments as she’s pulled to pieces.”
The image filled Trunks’s mind, forced there by Clef’s psychic ability. Trunks shouted in anger, trying to block it out, staring back at Clef with the most hatred he had ever felt for anyone in his life; more than Cell, more than the Androids, anything. Clef frowned however, his eyes still narrow with anger.
“No, I’ve waited long enough for this.” He kept Trunks still with his other hand, pulling the glowing hand back. It filled with an evil darkness, the claws of his metal hand growing to blades that could rip thought anything. “Farewell, hybrid, have a nice afterlife in my world.” He lunged forward, but found that his attack had gone into the soft wall, where the entities screeched yet again. He looked to his side, gritting his teeth with uncontrollable rage.
Trunks opened his eyes from where he thought it was the end, seeing he had been pulled to the side. Looking up to the figure who stood, he gazed at the one face he thought he would never see again.
“YOU! I’ll kill you!” Clef screamed, his eyes turning a beat red. Vadolla smiled, shrugging.
Putting her hands on her hips, she tilted her head. “Now where have I heard that before, Diamond? Oh wait, you said that about...well, all three times I’ve fought you!”
“Vadolla...” Trunks said, his shock overcoming.
She turned her gaze to him, still smiling. “I’ll take it from here, ‘kay?” She looked back to Diamond, her eyes turning cold and her smiling fading. “This time, Diamond, I must disagree with that statement. This time you die, for good!” She ran forward, and Clef began to laugh. Suddenly, as they all thought she would go through, a punch suddenly went across his jaw, sending him flying back.
“How?! How can this be?!” Clef questioned angrily.
Vadolla grinned, her eyes turning an ice blue color from where they were royal blue. “Let’s just say you fight fire with fire, Diamond.”
He stood, clenching his right hand, a long sword coming from the top of his hand. He charged with a battle cry, slashing furiously at Vadolla. She remained stricken with a black expression, dodging every attack he threw. A few times did he shoot blasts at her, but with a wave of her hand they flew up and disappeared into the ceiling. Vadolla grinned almost to the thought that this was all he had, but knew that this was not his power.
Clef stood back and was about to make another blow across the head when suddenly he diverted it, slashing her across the arm. With this window of opportunity, he whipped around, slashing her across the knees and again across her other arm. He almost jabbed it into her head but she moved just in time for it to skid on her cheek. Though, with that came a flaw, a flaw that Clef himself did not realize she had done until he looked himself. He laughed once, getting cocky in his sudden attack.
Vadolla’s mouth was wide as if she would scream, but no words came out. The sword that was now stuck through her gave her to much shock for her to give any intention to do so. Clef slid her off the blade slowly, torturously, until she finally lay on the ground, her heart slowing.
“Pathetic,” was all the Clef had to say, pulling the bloodied blade back into his hand gauntlet. With illuminating dark eyes he turned his smirk to Trunks, who sat there in disbelief. “Now it’s your turn, hybrid.”
Trunks didn’t move, though he couldn’t. It wasn’t because Clef had psychic energy on him, but because his heart had died the moment she fell to the ground. Though the others told him otherwise, he refused to listen. It didn’t matter, there was no life for him anymore anyway, so he might as well get it over with as well. He put his head down, sighing softly to himself. As the ground breathed beneath him, he felt a hand coming up against his, taking it in its grasp. He looked with question as it did this, but wondered even more when he did not here the sound of Clef’s footprints.
Instead, as he looked up, he saw that he did not move, not did the others. An almost liquid like form came up underneath the floor and walls, as if a layer that had not been there before. Neither Clef nor anyone else move but him. Time had frozen before his eyes, and he knew he had seen this before.
He looked to his hand which was still being held, seeing a little girl now there. It was the same one from his dream before. She wore the same dress, same hat, and looked exactly the same, as if she had been waiting completely still the entire time.
“Don’t give up faith, Trunks,” she said, and she spoke he knew it was the same voice that had talked to him before.
“It’s you!” he proclaimed as he stood up, and she smiled up at him.
“Yeah, it’s me alright. But really, Trunks, you shouldn’t give up hope. She’ll be crushed if you do.”
“But...Vadolla she’s...” he began, but could not finish his own sentence.
“Ah, say no more! Just look.”
Trunks turned his head, looking for where Vadolla should have been. His eyes turned from sad to filled with hope when she saw she was trying to get up. He ran over, kneeling down too see that her wound was glowing with a blue light.
“What’s with this?” he asked as she came over.
“Oh that? Well, see, she’s going to turn invincible. I can’t explain it right now but she’s gonna pretty soon.”
Trunks looked up at her, puzzled. “Who are you, anyway?”
“Me? Well, I’m her guilt!”
“What?!”
“Yup, that’s right, her guilt. I’m her child form, when she finally got her guilt. You know, the odd thing about that is I’m her guilt and her hope, though. See, she had guilt because she always knew things were bad, and she blamed herself somewhat on it. But you know, without the guilt she wouldn’t have the strength to hope for a better world. Of course, that’s why I told you all those things.” She looked up thinking. “You know, I think I remember you from somewhere. Umm...yeah! Your face is on her strength wall!”
“Strength wall?”
“Yeah! She’s got this wall with the pictures of all the things that give her strength in her head. You know, a lot of things have been taken off, in fact mostly all, but one picture still remains, and that’s you! Of course, you people all got one, and you got some guilt hanging in you as well. Though, it’s kind of covered by doubt and hate, but still, both of you should really think of the better things in life.” She shrugged. “Anyway, this is the last time I can chat, ‘cause as soon as she speaks with you before she goes I’ll be long gone.”
“Goes? Goes where? I thought you said she was invincible!”
“Yeah...well, more on that later! Anyway,” she picked up hand, dragging him back, “you gotta get back to the place you were. If you don’t, everything will be spoiled, if you get what I mean.”
Trunks nodded, walking back with her. He sat back down in the place he was originally, the girl’s feet beginning to sink into the floor. He stared in shock as she began falling slowing deeper, smiling al the while.
“Remember what I said, Trunks. Don’t give up hope, for things will always get better.” With that, she grew shoulder length deep into it, still holding onto his hand. Her face began to take on the same color, her face falling into black. Before she disappeared, her hand falling back into the aligned others, she said, “Belief in another can be small, yes, but can achieve great things,” and vanished.
The hand let go back into the chain as time proceeded again, Trunks looking up and seeing Clef continue forward. He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. He wanted to stand but found he couldn’t, knowing that Diamond was controlling his every movement.
Clef Diamond stepped up to him, extending the blade again. Holding it high, his raged face turned to a grin. “Farewell, insolent being.”
“Diamond!”
The voice gave a sudden intensity that Clef himself had never felt before. He turned his attention to the being, who now was standing on her feet. She held the wound which brightly gave off a light, her eyes burning with the same color. Her cuts did the exact same, but on a smaller scale. They started to heal up, her pale skin turning with the same white glow. When finally the large hole in her stomach had healed, they did not see her as the Vadolla they had once known. Though she was like Vadolla, she was something different...
Something that they could not explain...
Her hair band suddenly snapped, whipping up into the sky, where a blue aura was cast around her. Her hair grew white, a ghostly like material beginning to form around her. It took on a dress, which materialized right before them. As the aura calmed and her hair settled, her eyes shown ice-cold, her face emotionless.
Holding a hand to her side, some sort of ki beginning to flow through her hand like electricity. “Clef Diamond, if you are truly evil may you die like evil does to others. May you die very, very slowly.”
He smirked, beginning to laugh. “Is this some sort of joke? What do you think you can do, obliterate me?”
She smiled. “Something like that.”
“Please, spare me the waste of breath. I killed you once, I can just absorb your soul if you come an inch near me.”
“Not exactly,” she stated, walking forward. She passed him, Clef allowing this as seeing it as no threat. She went to Trunks, who sat dumbfounded by the sight. She slowly held out a hand, which Trunks took. Clef frowned, knowing that that could not happen unless she was still alive.
As her hand slipped away, Trunks felt a certain warmth, a great strength coming over him. He looked up at her, who switched a smile towards him before turning with a stricken face at Clef. She waved a hand, sighing.
“I suppose now you think you’re hallucinating, huh?”
“No,” he replied, staring to grin with thought. “You’ve turned into your true form. Bravo. An admiral feat, considering the fact you used all of your Stone’s power.”
“As long as it kills you, Diamond, I’ll be happy.”
“Will you?” He laughed, crossing his arms. “Need I remind you the consequence?”
Vadolla frowned. “Let’s just cut to the chase.”
“What chase? There’s nothing to debate.”
“No,” she smiled, holding her hand forward, “only your destruction!”
Clef’s eyes widened, seeing the bright blue aura shooting from her hand. It consumed him, casting him in a never-ending light. The pillar in the center began to whisper small whispers, as if coming to life. Very soon Vadolla vanished within the same light, the room growing into it. All three of them shut there eyes, temporarily blinded by it. Like an explosion, a large swift wind shot at them, causing them to fly back. They were caught in the light, a sudden gap in their life span coming to a stop, where everything frozen in that very moment of time...
Trunks opened his eyes with a shock of life, seeing he was stuck to the floor. As an afterimage came, he raised his hand right hand, seeing the soft red glow come from his palm. He saw a figure approach, looking up at the sad face as she look his hand. She smiled back at him as best as she could, but he could still see the anguish in her eyes.
“Please come with me,” she asked slowly, and he sat up, nodding.
Trunks stood, Vadolla pulling him along to the nearby wall. He could not see anything but the white light which surrounded them, and did not know that that was a wall until she put a hand on it. Hands formed and slowly pulled apart, giving them a doorway out. As they both walked out, they past a few tall standing trees before walking onto a beach. The sands were a beautiful gold and white, with sparkling blue crystalline waters. The sky was a heavy violet, shining brightly with millions of small stars. He turned to her, who still continued to smile at him.
“Are you all right?” he asked. He didn’t care where they were, because as long as Clef didn’t show, they were safe.
“Of course, Trunks. You?” she asked.
“I’m fine.” He reached forwards, putting his hands on her face. He soon hugged her, shutting his eyes in relief. “I thought I had lost you, Vadolla.”
“No, you didn’t...and hopefully never truly will.” She pulled herself back, finding Trunks’s eyes staring at her with question.
“What are you saying, Vadolla?”
She didn’t answer at first, but just smiled, softly, until she laughed, taking his hand again. “You want to go somewhere?”
“What?”
“Well, you’ve wanted to go somewhere in your life, didn’t you? Just name it; the park maze, the center of the galaxy, maybe just sit on your porch. Just name it and we’ll go there.”
“Um, isn’t this good?”
She nodded. “Yes, I suppose, if this is what you want. But can I suggest something?”
“Of course, why not?”
“Alright.” She pulled him over to the water’s edge, stepping once. He wondered when she did not sink, but began walking on the water’s surface. She walked with him onto it, when they were just out over a few feet deep of water. She looked up to the sky, staring to no particular star but all within her eye sight.
At this point he just had to ask, “Vadolla, where are we?”
“Heaven still.” She turned her gaze to him. “That’s why I asked if you wanted to go anywhere. We could go to anywhere in the universe, imagine anything we wished.”
“But why? Why couldn’t we just go back to earth?” he asked. She did not answer, but sighed and looked back up to the sky. “He is dead, isn’t he, Vadolla? Diamond is gone?”
She shook her head. “No, he is not gone. He is just frozen.” She looked to him, her smile fading. “Trunks, I’m able to freeze eternity now. I did this so I could explain to you what is happening in reality.”
“What’s happening...? Vadolla, I don’t understand. You’re invincible, aren’t you?”
She nodded, looking down at her feet. “Yes, yes I am.”
“Then why can’t you just destroy him?” He said it as if desperate, not wanting to the worst from her voice. “Why can’t we just go home?”
“It’s not that simple,” she replied. “Trunks, I do not know how to explain this but...” She put her left hand on the side of his face. He realized with this it did not shine like the Stone in his. “I had turned my ultimate transformation, but I used the power of the Stone, and it no longer has the power as it once did. I have a great power within me, yes, but only if I didn’t have to use all of it against Diamond...”
“You mean the Stone basically doesn’t exist anymore. So...”
“That’s about as much as you need to explain.” She took her hand away, bowing her head. She shut her eyes with sorrow, looking back up at him with tears in her eyes. “Trunks, when I use this power, when I defeat Clef...I’m going to die. I’ll probably disappear with Diamond, and so there will be no possible way to bring me back.”
She did not have to go on in detail like that. He had already known before she had said the second part. And his heart had already torn to pieces before she said it. Trunks tried to think of other ways, anything to keep her from doing this. Anything.
“W-well, you said you can stop time, right? Well, why can’t you just stop time for good. I mean, you can stay here! We can live here!”
“Trunks...”
“We can think up anything we want, right? We can just live here!”
“Trunks, please, listen to me,” she said, taking the sides of his face and facing it towards her. Like the Stone in her hand her heart was also cracked, pealing away with every second she had to explain. “Please, Trunks, don’t do this to me! Don’t make this harder than it is! I can’t do anything, alright, I had no choice! I had nothing left...and I didn’t want you to die, Trunks. I care for you too much to allow that.”
Trunks shook his head, his head swelling. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bowing his head and putting his forehead on hers. Shutting his eyes, he gathered his thoughts, calming.
“I’m sorry...I’m sorry,” she cried.
“Don’t be. I have every right to be thanking you. I should be the one saying that, because I’m sorry I could not be there. That I could not help you when you needed it the most.”
“Please don’t say that. You have no reason to be. But...I only asked that you do one thing.”
“Anything, Vadolla.”
“Please don’t forget me. When I’m gone, don’t ever forget that I loved you.”
His throat tightened, shutting his eyes even tighter. There she was, standing in his arms, the last time he would ever see her beautiful face. It was painful to hear her ask that, adding to his angst.
“You know I would never think otherwise.”
She pulled back, smiling at him. The surroundings began to slowly fade, Vadolla doing the same with it. She put her hands on the side of his face again, tears forming behind her eyes, but Vadolla trying to show no more crying. “Goodbye to you, my dear Trunks. Wherever I may be, I will always remember you.” She leaned forward, putting her forehead on his and kissing him, now the time better than any, seeing how she would not be around to spend the rest of her life with him. A small glowing light formed between the two, but faded as she slowly pulled away. Trunks whispered something to her, the last thing she was bound to ever hear, but the best thing she could ever hear. Three small words that meant the world to her, which she repeated back. She turned, her smile fading to a cold expression. The light came around again, engulfing her until she was no more, blinding Trunks yet again back into the real world.
Vadolla reached forward, wrapping her arm around Clef’s neck and not letting go. Clef Diamond was infuriated, slashing at her and charging up with the most deadly attack he had. The blade only gave scratches as they past, healing as quickly as they came.
“Unfortunately for you, Clef Diamond, your attacks will no longer work.”
“You idiot! Do you have any idea what this will do to you as well?!” he shouted in exclamation, his being beginning to melt away.
“Well,” she stated, her eyes glowing with a sudden violence and her own self being beginning to melt, “there’s always a price for victory.”
“Fool!!” His being pulsed with a sudden evil, a black essence which infected the light around. It also fought back, but it seemed that the light would be overcome.
Vadolla could see this, and brought up her other hand. She placed it on his back, just diverting the essence long enough to do one last thing. She charged an attack, firing it straight through him. Clef screamed in agony, the very stone which keep him alive being tore out of him and shattering to pieces. With that, an almost holy presence came from within him, and with that Vadolla smiled.
The souls of everything he had ever gotten.
His voice turned more into a hideous screech, a sound that no living thing had ever heard before. She turned her attention back to him, holding him tighter with every moment he struggled. His face melted away to just the eyes, and soon his arms and hands. Within minutes the Stones left in his hand cracked and shattered away as well, and soon his whole hand was gone, working up his arm. With this the reflective cause to it came into affect, Vadolla’s hand and arm began to melt away. She shut her eyes, trying to smile as the world around melted away with them. The small light on her forehead appeared again, fading away to nothing as both she and Clef Diamond disappeared into oblivion...
Part Four
He stood by the small grass area, where it had been dug up a few months ago. He placed the one single flower on the ground, shutting his eyes in thought. He sighed, depressed in a sort of way that he knew she rested here, never to be seen again.
Kaioshin had allowed them to bring her body back to earth to bury. Apparently, only her soul had vanished with the extinguish of Diamond’s. He was sorry to say that there was no way to bring her back, that no one could find her, and feared the worst. So, with it, they buried her back home.
Trunks had not spoken much about it, and did not go out much. They didn’t mention anything about her or dating, because they knew he wouldn’t respond either way. The townspeople who lived around him were empathic, knowing how he felt. They would not bother him in any way unless he asked, knowing he would want to be alone.
As he stood over the grave of Vadolla, a swift breeze came by, knocking out the suns gaze behind the clouds. As it reemerged, he still remained eyes shut. But as he heard footsteps behind him, he grew cautious, wondering if it was one of the others. It carried a massive power level, but he could tell whoever it was hid their true power. He opened his eyes wide, however, when he heard a voice.
“Ironic, isn’t it?”
And then came the familiar shadowy laugh...
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You people now officially despise me, don’t you? Yes, I left it with a cliffhanger. Now some of you may be mad I killed off the good guy, others because I left it as a cliffhanger, other reasons that I can’t think of, or just plain both. This is one you may just want to leave as it is, or you can read on to the basic epilog to this saga. To those who like action this ain’t one for you. It’s just going to be a mystery/sad/happy kind of thing so for all of you who like sappy stuff that story is for you.
Well, hope you enjoyed the saga! (And have a nice day ^_^...if it’s not already night time...if it is then have a nice rest of a good day!)