by balorg84

This is a "What if?" story. What if during the Android Saga, Bulma decided to leave Vegeta and go back to Yamcha? What if she decided that he would be a better father for her son than the prince of saiya-jins? (What if Buu never came about?) What if Bulma held back the secret of Trunks’ heritage? These questions will be answered in my own fashion in this story…

The Earth’s latest threat since the terrible Freeza has been vanquished. The defenders of Earth were able to defeat Cell and restore peace to the Earth. But Bulma wasn’t celebrating. Sure, being able to live was groovy, but living with Vegeta…and his son? Her son… It pained her to think about her situation. She tried to avoid it as much as possible, but there was simply no denying the fact that she had born the heir to the saiya-jin throne. She debated with herself daily how she would raise her son, Trunks.

Vegeta certainly wouldn’t be the best father, and he didn’t seem like the father type anyway. Evidence of that shone through when he made no attempt at saving her when Dr. Gero tried to kill her and his son, and even when he fought his son from the future just so he could allow Cell to achieve his perfect form. So how would Vegeta treat her now?

She had many options, but one always kept coming back to her. It was outrageous, yet sensible all at the same time. This man had caused her emotional pain many times in the past, but he seemed to care for her now. But would Yamcha be the best man to raise her son? She had deliberated over this issue for months, and when it came time to settle down after the battle, a decision had to be made. Would she live with Vegeta and let him raise her son is his own special way, or would she go back to her teenage sweetheart and have him be the boy’s father?

The day came, and she had made up her mind. She knew there was no going back once this decision was made. She would leave Vegeta and marry Yamcha. That very day she made up her mind, she told Vegeta and he left without a word and with the same solemn expression on his face that he always wore. It was only a few weeks after that that she married Yamcha and together they lived at Capsule Corp. On the night they were married, Bulma cried herself to sleep over what she had done to her son. She had created a false life for him, and she knew that she could never make it right again.

Thirteen years have passed. Bulma and Yamcha had a daughter named Bra (in keeping with the tradition of names related to undergarments. It can happen in this world if I say so!), and she was considerably weaker than her brother who was six years her elder and she had black hair instead of purple hair, like Trunks. In fact, even though Trunks had never done any real training, he was almost as strong as Yamcha was. This was confusing to Trunks, but he merely shrugged it off and paid no attention to this little oddity. His life was good: he had a wealthy family, went to a top-notch school, had expensive stuff, and above all, kind, loving parents.

He was stronger than most of his friends, and the only people he knew that truly rivaled his strength were his father and his best friend, Son Goten, whose father "passed away" during the Cell Games. Goten was somewhat jealous that Trunks has a dad, and he’s sorry that he never got to know his own father, Son Goku. He had heard bedtime stories that his father was the strongest man who ever lived and that he fought for justice and peace. How Goten longed to know his father, but alas, he could not. His father refused to be wished back by the dragonballs, and so he resided in the heavens with Kaiousama where he trained for all eternity.

Trunks’ strength was so great compared to everyone else’s that he decided to compete in the upcoming Tenkaichi Budokai. It was only a couple weeks away, and he decided that this would be a good chance to test his strength against other strong people.

This Trunks, however, was far different from Mirai Trunks who fought against Cell. This Trunks did not possess the ability to control his ki, which meant that he couldn’t search people out or raise his ki during battle. He didn’t even know how to fly. Why should he? There was no practical purpose for such an ability in life. He had seen Yamcha do it on a couple of occasions and marveled at it, but he never felt the need to be able to do it himself.

The day arrived, and Trunks, Yamcha, Bulma, and Bra all flew to the Budokai in a capsule plane. Trunks signed up to compete and he eagerly anticipated the competition. He almost enjoyed the prospect of fighting, although he knew not why. Being accustomed to having weird feelings about himself, he shook this one off as easily as every other one he felt.

He fought in the qualification matches and was sorely disappointed to discover that the competitors didn’t come close to providing a challenge for him, and he almost wished to fight someone stronger just for the challenge.

…Almost…

He breezed his way through the qualifications and he found himself competing in the finals. The seven other competitors were the World Champion, Mr. Satan, Fantastico, a dude named Gyruu, Ultran, a were-man, a proficient master in the art of Jujitsu named Rahm, and a spikey-haired, solemn unknown competitor named Vegeta. Trunks’ first opponent was Gyruu, and he took him out with little effort. Moments after he won, Rahm was driven to the hospital in ambulance as medics did everything they could to keep him alive. The man who did this: the spikey-haired man named Vegeta who apparently took no concern in his opponent’s suffering. Trunks feared the man, but as he walked by him, Trunks got a good look at Vegeta’s features, which oddly resembled his own. It was a minute or two before he could think to himself, "That guy looks like me!"

Mr. Satan easily dispatched of Ultran while Fantastico wasted little time in knocking off the were-man. Trunks took one look at the pairings. His next opponent: Vegeta. He stood there for a couple minutes, shaking in his boots. He was scheduled to fight the man who nearly killed his opponent and didn’t even care.

* * *

Trunks stepped nervously onto the fighting platform. Vegeta followed, interested in his new opponent. He never spoke a word, which unnerved Trunks to the point where he almost soiled himself. Vegeta was so calm. Surely Vegeta had noticed how strong he was, yet he didn’t seem to be worried in the least. The announcer called for the fight to commence. Vegeta made no move. He only stood there, staring at Trunks with a gaze so cold the hair on the back of Trunks’ neck stood on end.

"What’s going on?" Trunks pondered to himself. "Why isn’t he moving? Why is he just standing there? And why am I so scared? This has never happened before!" Vegeta made his first move: he involuntarily blinked. He remained in his standing position for a minute as Trunks just stood there staring at him. The crowd began to get edgy and they began to boo the fighters, yelling for them to start fighting.

Trunks had long since lost his calm and he started to look around. When he turned back to see his opponent, he discovered him to be standing a couple centimeters in front of him. He got one good look at his face and if it weren’t for the black hair, he would swear that he was looking in a mirror. But he didn’t have the time to swear, because Vegeta put a knee into Trunks’ stomach that caused him to fly to the edge of the arena, but not to fall off. It was then that Trunks had plenty of time to swear and he didn’t pass up the opportunity.

He got up and Vegeta clubbed him from behind, which confounded Trunks because the only thing behind him was…air. How did he get behind him so fast, and even get behind him at all for that matter?

Trunks was knocked to the ground and he began to get up, all fours on the ground. Vegeta kicked him in the stomach again, causing him to fly up into the air. Vegeta grabbed his leg at the zenith of his ascent and he held the youth upside-down. He closed an eye to get better perception of the ground and he positioned Trunks over an area of the ground between the arena and the stands. The crowd marveled at Vegeta as he seemed to be floating.

Bulma knew what Vegeta had in mind and she yelled out to him for the sake of her son. "Don’t, Vegeta! He can’t fly! Do you hear me? I want you to stop! You’ve won! Stop it now!" But Vegeta paid no attention to her pleas and he let the saiya-jin prince plummet to the ground headfirst.

It wasn’t the drop that was so bad for Trunks. It gave him time to reflect on his fight. He would have kicked himself for choking, that is if he weren’t plummeting to his death. The prospect of dying was almost inviting to him. It would be a new adventure, and that’s something he got very little of.

"What am I thinking?" he asked himself. "I didn’t want to die! I have a good life before me, and I’ll be damned if some pointy-haired stranger was going to take it away from me!" Trunks hit the ground with an impact that made an impression in the ground and broke the cement where he landed. His head hit the ground first and his body even bounced a little. The dent in the cement was bloodied and the spot where his head now laid was tainted red. Then, all was dark…

He awoke to the sounds of his mother and father debating with someone. He slowly regained his vision, but it was blurred and a red tint made him aware to the fact that his face was caked in blood, but that didn’t matter. Despite his blurred vision, he could make out the general figure of his opponent, Vegeta. Medical crews were rushing to the spot where he lay, but he paid no heed to them. He tried to make out the discussion between his parents and the strange fighter.

"Vegeta, why did you do that? You know he’s not strong enough to fight like that!"

"If you weren’t so much stronger than me, I’d kick your ‘royal’ @$$ right here and now!"

The deep, almost regal voice must have been Vegeta’s, Trunks discerned. "If he can’t fight at that weak a level, then he isn’t fit to fight at all. You have not raised this saiya-jin well."

Trunks was confused by Vegeta’s words. He managed to utter something, ignoring the pain that coursed through his body. "S…sai..saiya…-jin?" At that, he passed out and remembered no more.

* * *

He awoke in the medical wing of Capsule Corp. His mother diligently sat by his bed, holding vigil over her son. When his mother notice that he had awoken, she showered him in hugs and kisses. "Trunks! My son, you’re okay! How are you feeling? Are you hurt badly? Can you sit up? Can you speak? You don’t have amnesia, do you? Oh, I don’t think I could take it if you had amnesia! What would I do with myself?"

"Mom, I’m alright! I’m alright. I’m just feeling a little light-headed, that’s all. How long have I been here? Days? Weeks? Months?"

"You’re feeling light-headed because you just lost about 2 pints of blood in the arena!"

"Really? Jeez, that’s an awful lot! How long have I been here?"

"A couple hours. I was starting to get worried—"

"Only a couple hours?!" Trunks could hardly believe his ears! If he had lost that much blood, which was likely because he knew just how hard he hit the ground, then he shouldn’t even be alive, much less capable of doing what he was doing at that moment. Those who do live through something like that should be just barely alive, but Trunks was perfectly fine. And recovery in two hours! This was unreal! It simply wasn’t humanly possible… And Trunks knew it just as well as everyone else. As well as Bulma, as Yamcha, as his sister, Bra, and even as well as the doctors and nurses huddled around his bedside, gaping in awe at this boy who recovered from what should have been a fatal blow, and in just two hours. It was a feat of superhuman strength…or inhuman strength… Trunks could not decide which.

In a couple days, Trunks was out of the hospital and back into his daily routine. His release had taken so long because the doctors had to run tests on him in order to decide what made him recover as fast as he did. The mere fact that he recovered at all made headlines nationwide and it became a hot topic of discussion among many people. Since Trunks was perfectly healthy after recovery, there was no reason to run tests on him anymore and he was released from the hospital.

The event had been caught on film. The drop was shown on the news, as well as the impact that would kill a normal human instantaneously. An extensive review was conducted that concluded two things. One: the impact alone would telescope a human’s spine and would end his mortal sojourn right then and there. Second: if the blow didn’t telescope his spine, which it did not, then the blood loss should have surely killed him, or at least make him incapacitated, but again, he was fine.

All Trunks knew was the same thing as everyone else: that he was lucky to be alive. Three people alone knew the real reason behind his survival: Bulma, Vegeta, and Yamcha. Bulma and Yamcha had managed to keep from Trunks the secret of his heritage for thirteen years. And since Trunks had never seen his father before that fight at the Budokai, it was no problem for Vegeta to keep the secret as well.

One thing bothered trunks, though. It was Vegeta’s words. "You have not raised this saiya-jin well." What did he mean by that? What was a saiya-jin? And how does he know his parents? He desired to find out everything from his parents, but alas, he had trained himself so well to forget everything that confused him, that he forgot to ask his parents about it and in time Vegeta was but a dim memory, along with the fight.

Three years after his battle with Vegeta at the Tenkaichi Budokai, when Trunks was 16, he sat down at the table for breakfast. He had a tendency to be the first one up, so he got the morning paper and began to read. He stopped as he opened up the front page and there, impossible to miss, was the visage of an enormous bald man with a mustache and…Vegeta. The two men were garbed in some sort of armor that resembled Shogun armor. They also sported optical accessories over their left ears. The headline read, "The Anniversary of the Battle for the Earth."

Trunks was confounded. What was this about? And what did Vegeta have to do with any of it? He read on and he learned everything that the media was able to get about the fight for the planet Earth. By reading the article, which filled about half of the front section, he was able to gather information concerning the arrival of two aliens who wiped a couple cities clean off the face of the map and even sunk an entire naval fleet.

The only people that stopped them were special fighters for the planet Earth. Many casualties occurred that day, and among the recorded deaths were Tenshinhan, Chaotzu, Piccolo, and…Yamcha.

"What the…? This doesn’t make any sense! This can’t be right!" Trunks stared in awe at the pictures of his dad when he was alive. There was no mistaking his scarred visage, despite the longer hair, and he immediately recognized him as Yamcha, his dad. He then saw the pictures of Yamcha lying martyred in the crater where a saibaiman destroyed itself to kill him.

None of this made sense to the purple-haired youth because he had never been taught of the dragonballs. There had never been any real need to use them in Trunks’ life, so he never even knew of their existence, much less their capabilities. Trunks had been very sheltered; Bulma’s efforts to hide the truth from him were very strong.

He resolved to straighten this matter up with his mother and Yamcha, and he awoke them from their sleep to ask them about the morning headlines. There was no beating around the bush at this point. While Bulma could not avoid explaining the dragonballs, she did everything in her power to hide Trunks’ saiya-jin heritage.

Trunks had heard all he wanted to hear, and he vowed to fight Vegeta again, and this time he would defeat him! His saiya-jin blood flowed through his veins as the call for battle fell on his ears. It was then that he caught a glimpse of a side-story on the front page: the Budokai would be held tomorrow.

* * *

A capsule plane flew through he brisk air as Trunks decided how he would get revenge on Vegeta for the pain and suffering he had caused so long ago. He would rectify the mistakes Vegeta had made. His saiya-jin blood flowed through his veins, raising his ki. Although he was unaware of it, Vegeta felt his presence and he headed off for the Budokai as well.

Trunks signed up for the competition and he effortlessly made his way into the finals. The other contestants were similar to the ones from last year: weak and arrogant. The man who most epitomized this was none other than Mr. Satan. Although Vegeta defeated him during the last Budokai, it was universally considered to be a fluke and that Mr. Satan would regain his title this year.

When the pairings had been made, Trunks looked at the chart. He and Vegeta were so far apart that the first chance they would get to fight each other would be in the final match. "Good. We shall save the best for last. It will be a match not soon forgotten," said Trunks to himself. He intended to prove to Vegeta that he would not tolerate such heartless beings to live among innocent people.

The bout between Trunks and Vegeta had arrived. Vegeta once again asserted his blatant dominance over the hairy-chested human who was proclaimed to be the strongest man alive. The people began to think that it may not be a fluke, but since Mr. Satan was getting up there in age, it was accepted that he may lose a few matches eventually.

Trunks was not afraid this time as he was three years ago. He was fully confident that he could defeat Vegeta and show him that evil men cannot succeed. Vegeta stared at Trunks with interest as Trunks' ki grew little by little. It had been growing all day due to his contempt for Vegeta, but Vegeta was still not worried that he would lose.

When they finally stepped onto the platform, Trunks asked Vegeta, "Are you prepared to die for your evils?" Vegeta replied with a silent stare at Trunks who gave his rebuttal with a fist to the face. Vegeta blocked it with his hand. Trunks unloaded a barrage of attacks on Vegeta, all blocked by the same arm. Vegeta would sometimes use his leg to block a kick, but never did he have to dodge anything.

Trunks was beginning to get worn out while Vegeta hadn’t even broken a sweat. "Unreal," commented Trunks. "Who is this guy? He’s impossibly fast! I gave practically everything I had into those attacks and he hardly even TRIED to stop them!"

It was then that Vegeta spoke his first words ever that were directed to Trunks. "Is that all?" Trunks stared at him as if in a stupor. He began to shake his head, but he built up courage and nodded it defiantly. "Very well, then." Vegeta’s words were calm, like his demeanor.

Trunks resumed his attack, this time with more vigor and more spirit than before, but again, Vegeta never had to dodge an attack. He never raised his foot off that spot since the match started. Trunks ceased his attack and stepped away from Vegeta who simply stood in place. Trunks had to think of something to beat Vegeta, but what? He used everything he knew on him and nothing worked. He cursed himself for not learning better how to fight.

"Wait a minute…I’ve never wished how to fight before. I hated fighting! I though it was dumb and pointless! Why do I crave it so now?" He looked back up at Vegeta who only regarded the purple-haired warrior with interest. "I want to kill him. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

He didn’t have long to think how he would win before Vegeta raised a gloved hand and pointed a single finger at Trunks. Trunks stared back quizzically. He didn’t notice, because he couldn’t tell, but Vegeta was charging up slightly for an attack. And as weak as Trunks was, he didn’t have to charge long.

"Boom."

The shot pierced Trunks’ abdomen and it hit the stands behind him, killing a couple spectators and critically wounding several others.

Trunks reeled back as a new hole in his stomach spurted blood everywhere. Bulma watched in paralyzed horror as she witnessed Vegeta slay his own son, knowing full well who it was he had just killed. Yamcha’s anger grew rapidly as he watched Trunks fall to the ground outside of the ring, making Vegeta the winner.

"Vegeta! How dare you, you heartless bastard!" Yamcha himself wanted to kill Vegeta, but the saiya-jin prince began to walk over to his son. Once he reached him, Trunks was hanging on by a thread. Vegeta produced a senzu bean and he administered it to a barely conscious Trunks. Trunks blinked his eyes a few times and then his muscles grew and the hole in his stomach filled in with all the muscles and vital organs that once inhabited that place.

"What the Hell?!" Trunks was baffled beyond belief. He thought for sure that he was going to die, and now all of a sudden he’s perfectly healthy and even stronger than before. "Am I dead?"

"No, you’re not," assured Bulma. "Vegeta gave you a senzu bean and restored your health."

"A what bean?" inquired Trunks.

"A senzu bean. It completely restores your health and keeps you full for ten days. Although, where Vegeta got one, I don’t know." Yamcha was confused, but happy that his "son" was still alive. Bulma turned around to thank Vegeta for saving Trunks after apparently killing him, but the saiya-jin prince was gone off to parts unknown.

* * *

For days, Trunks was confused. He didn’t know what to do. Nobody he had ever met was that strong or fast save Son Gohan. Not even Yamcha, one of the warriors who fought Vegeta two decades ago, could parallel those abilities. It just didn’t seem possible to Trunks.

Bulma began to get worried. Trunks was becoming more of a fighter. It occupied his thoughts more now than ever. She and Yamcha knew the reason, but Trunks did not. He knew that if he were to fight Vegeta again and not be defeated, he would have to train. He thought of asking his dad to train him, but since Gohan was more powerful, he decided that he would rather learn under his tutelage.

Trunks went to the Son House in the hopes of becoming Gohan’s student, but Gohan and Videl were away for the weekend on a vacation in some group of tropical islands. Chi-Chi was babysitting Pan, with Goten’s reluctant assistance of course, while they were away.

Once they were back, Trunks asked Gohan to train him. Gohan complied, stating that he hadn’t been fighting enough recently and someone like Trunks would be the perfect person to get him back in shape.

The training began the next day. Trunks was given an orange gi with weighted clothes underneath, identical to the ones Goku wore when he was alive.

Gohan asked Trunks at the beginning of the training to hit him as hard as he could. Trunks struck Gohan with all his might and Gohan braced himself for the hit, but it wasn’t necessary. Trunks was so weak from lack of proper training that his hit almost made Gohan laugh at how weak it was. Gohan blushed at Trunks’ lack of strength, knowing that the prince of saiya-jins should be a lot stronger than that.

"Hmmm…" Gohan thought to himself. "Are you certain that you weren’t holding anything back?"

"Why?"

"Well, it’s just that…"

"What?" inquired Trunks.

"You’re supposed to be stronger than that. Did Yamcha ever train you properly?"

"Dad never trained me. I never needed it until now."

"Why are you training, anyway?"

"Well," Trunks’ voice became more sullen. "I have to get revenge on someone for wrongdoings in the past. He’s an evil man, one with a heart of stone incapable of emotion."

"Who?"

"You fought him before. Twenty years ago, to be exact. His name is Vegeta."

"What? Vegeta?"

"Yes," replied Trunks in the same solemn mood.

"You wanna fight Vegeta to the death? You crazy? You’ll be killed!"

"Not if you train me, I won’t!"

"Listen! Vegeta is the second-strongest person who ever lived. The only man whose strength surpassed his was my father, and he’s dead now. Fight Vegeta and die."

"We’ll see. I’m sure I can find a way to beat him."

"No, you can’t."

"Why not?" asked Trunks sharply.

"Because he has abilities that you don’t posses. And unless you have them as well, then you have a death wish."

"I don’t think that any technique is foolproof. There’s a weakness to it, I just have to find it."

"No, you moron, you don’t understand!" Trunks looked at him defiantly. His stare told Gohan that nothing he said would change Trunks’ mind. "I see. You don’t know what it is, do you? Then I have no choice but to show you. Fight me. Give it your all and hold nothing back, do you hear me? NOTHING!"

Trunks complied and he began to fight Gohan using every technique he ever learned and some he improvised on. It was soon apparent that Gohan’s training under Piccolo along with his fighting experience would prove to be an unconquerable advantage over Trunks. Once Trunks was worn out, Gohan gave him a senzu bean. "Eat this. It’s a --"

"Hey, I’ve had one of these before! It restores you, doesn’t it? I’m still full from the last one! I haven’t eaten within a week! What are they called again?"

"Senzu beans. They restore your strength completely and keep you full for ten days. These work especially well for you."

"Why?"

"Uh…" Gohan forgot entirely that Trunks was ignorant of his saiya-jin heritage and the hidden abilities, which he possessed. Trunks simply ignored Gohan and ate the senzu bean without a word. Immediately his strength came back and he was stronger than before.

"Wow! I feel stronger! But how? I was told the senzu beans restored your strength, but I wasn’t told that they made you stronger!"

"They don’t. Not normally, anyway." Trunks was again confused by Gohan.

"What are you talking about?"

"Wait. I’m going to show you just why you’ll never beat Vegeta. Even now you can’t beat me, but try beating me after I do this."

"Do what?" wondered Trunks. Gohan began to power up and soon he turned SSJ, much to the wonderment of Trunks. "What the…" Trunks was so astonished that he couldn’t finish his sentence.

Gohan looked at Trunks and calmly said, "The training will continue now."

Trunks was beaten almost to the point of death. He had almost gotten used to this since he fought Vegeta twice and lost both times for obvious reasons. Gohan gave Trunks a senzu bean and he gladly accepted Gohan’s offer.

Once healed (and stronger than before), Gohan told him that he would have to train Trunks in every basic ability. It would take time, and Trunks wasn’t sure if he could do it, but Gohan had confidence that he could.

"The first thing we need to teach you is ki control. You obviously have no power to control your ki or utilize it to your benefit. First you shall learn how to recognize it, or else you can’t hope to fight anybody."

"My what? My ki? What’s that?"

"Your ki is sort of like your spirit. It’s your essence and what makes you do what you can. Right now your ki is very weak. You have to rely almost entirely on brute strength to beat your opponents, and that just won’t cut it. It takes meditation to find your ki. You have to search within yourself to unlock your potential."

"Are you sure this is how to properly train people?"

"If you can’t control your ki, then you have no right to step onto any battlefield, much less with Vegeta. Start searching, and search hard. I’ll monitor your progress." With that, Gohan left Trunks all by himself.

"I don’t know what he was talking about, but it didn’t make any sense to me. Ki. That’s just a load of crap if you ask me." For three hours, Trunks sat alone and though of revenge. The more he thought, the angrier he became. The angrier he became, the higher his ki rose. Gohan noticed it while he watched TV with Videl. Trunks’ ki was triple what it was an hour ago, and it was steadily rising.

"His anger is making his ki rise, but unless he can do it at will, he’ll be no match for anyone. I hope he can learn the patience it takes to become stronger. His saiya-jin heritage has given him the capabilities to become unimaginably powerful, but if his thoughts are clouded by anger, then he’ll just rush into his fight with Vegeta and be killed. I know Vegeta will do it just to teach Trunks a lesson."

Trunks’ ki was indeed growing, but it would still be a while before he would be able to successfully raise it at will… Until that time, he would be fodder for anyone who possessed that simple ability.

* * *

After months of rigorous training, Gohan had managed to get Trunks to recognize his ki. Only days afterward, he had learned to fly and recognize other people’s ki. His strength rose quickly as did his ki. With his newfound ki control Trunks was able to raise his strength with meditation and difficult training. Karin, the cat who resided in Karin Tower just below Kami’s Palace, was rushing to grow senzu beans at the rate Trunks consumed them. Trunks constantly pushed himself too far, but after eating a senzu, he was stronger than ever. There now stood only one barrier to break…

His ki was roughly around 1.5 million at its peak, and it was rising slowly. Trunks was now confident that he could hold his own with Vegeta, possibly even beat him. He had forgotten that Vegeta possessed an ability that Gohan also possessed; one that turned him into the ultimate warrior. When he told Gohan that he was ready to fight Vegeta, Gohan had to "remind" Trunks that he still lacked the ability to go SSJ.

Trunks was beaten badly once again. After eating a senzu bean, he fought Gohan in his normal state. Trunks was able to hold his own against the son of Goku. He was surprised that he had grown so powerful in such a short a short time. He began to question himself, wondering if there was something he needed to know that he didn’t. When he asked Gohan how he was getting so strong so fast, Gohan answered that he could not tell him. He wasn’t the person to ask. Disappointed, Trunks laid himself down for the night.

Once Trunks was asleep, Gohan summoned Kinto-un to fly to Capsule Corp. Once there, he told Bulma and Yamcha Trunks’ predicament. Bulma knew that in order for Trunks to overcome the last barrier, he had to know everything…

Gohan returned to the Son House and once he stepped inside, he discovered that Trunks was awake. The purple-haired warrior had awoken in the middle of the night due to a bad dream. He described it to Gohan.

"I felt like I was something more than human. It sort of makes sense; I’ve been through so much that it makes me think that not even the strongest of humans can handle. When Vegeta defeated me three years ago, when he dropped me, my spine should have telescoped. And even if I didn’t die, I shouldn’t have recovered as fast as I did.

"But anyway, I was told that my parents weren’t my real parents and that I wasn’t even human! How is that possible?"

"Remember," Gohan replied in an assuring tone, "that it was only a dream. Dreams don’t mean anything."

"Yeah, I guess you’re right, but since dreams are compilations of facts in your mind, then it came from somewhere. But what would make me dream that?"

"Who knows? All you need to do is get back to sleep for more training tomorrow. I’ve got something special planned for tomorrow. Be afraid!" With that, Gohan retired to his room where his wife awaited his return. Trunks stayed awake another hour pondering the dream he had earlier and eventually decided that Gohan was right; it was just a dream, and dreams mean nothing. With that off his mind, Trunks slipped into the void of sleep.

The next morning, Trunks awoke to the sound of a raven perched outside his window. The raven screeched at the top of its lungs, making the start of Trunks’ morning an unpleasant one. Trunks pointed a finger at the bird and blasted it into oblivion. Its feathers and other remnants fell tot he ground as the faint odor of something burning filled the area around Trunks’ bed. "Damn bird…" He got out of bed and got dressed. He marched down into the kitchen. He was halfway awake as he walked down the stairs, but he was fully awake when he saw Bulma, Yamcha, and Bra all standing around the table and Gohan, Videl, Chi-Chi, and Pan seated. "Hey! What’s going on? Why’s my family here?"

Gohan stood up and cleared his throat. He spoke in as soothing a tone he could manage, although he was very nervous about the reaction Trunks would have to his family’s news. "Trunks, I asked your family to come here today for a reason. You questioned yourself and who you are and I knew that your parents were the only people who could clear it up for you. I, myself, knew, but could not bring myself to tell you."

"Tell me what?" asked Trunks in a confused tone.

"Trunks…" Bulma started, but could not finish.

"What your mother means to tell you, son," Yamcha continued, "is that you’re not my son."

Trunks didn’t say a word. He didn’t even move. He could only stand there, trying to absorb the truth, but he couldn’t. He felt betrayed and lied to. How could his parents do this to him?

"But wait…" he thought, "they didn’t. It’s not true. How could it be? But why did dad say that? What’s going on?"

"Son," Bulma started, "are you okay?" Trunks continued to be silent. "Dear, he’s not saying anything. Talk to him!"

"Trunks, --" Yamcha tried to reassure his foster son, but Trunks interrupted him with a ki blast directly to the chest. Yamcha toppled over backward and crashed through the wall of the Son House. Chi-Chi screamed and ran into the corner and Pan, being about 4 or so, could only stare in horror. She had never seen anyone hurt anyone else out of malice save on TV. There it had no effect on her because she knew it wasn’t real, but in person, violence and hate had power beyond anything she had ever imagined.

Yamcha was unconscious and Trunks’ ki flared. He was surrounded by a blue aura and he released his ki. Dished and silverware flew and the walls of the house almost buckled. Sawdust from the ceiling began to fall. If Trunks did it again, it would surely bring down the house that Son Goku had built himself. Bulma and Bra went to Yamcha’s aid as Gohan did his best to calm Trunks, but it wouldn’t do any good.

Trunks was so angry at his family for lying to him that he flew off. Gohan would only be able to catch up to him by going SSJ and flying after him, but he had to stay with his family and make sure that they were okay and that the house would not collapse.

* * *

Trunks was lost in a haze of confusion, anger, hate, and depression. He stood solitary on a rock in the middle of a desert. As he looked around, he noticed that the landscape appeared to have been reshaped by some unnatural force. Craters, holes, and even gorges were present, and many of them appeared to have gotten there by some foreign means.

His anger was kindled by thinking about what his until-now-father had told him. How was betrayed, lied to, and everything else in between. His thought soon became clouded and he could think of nothing but his father’s words. "You’re not my son." Trunks wasn’t human. He had known it, but he wouldn’t believe it. Now he had been told, but he still denied it.

His anger continued to rise. What would he do now that he knew he wasn’t human? If he wasn’t human, then what was he? All these thoughts ran through his min as he stood on the rock in the desert.

His anger was greater than it had ever been. He couldn’t take it anymore. "Why?" he though to himself. Over and over. "Why?" Finally, when is anger could be contained no more, he let it out in a primal scream! "WHHHYYYYYYYYY?"

His hair turned blond, his eyes turned green, energy like that he had never known coursed through his veins. He regained his control and was horrified to discover that a terrible change had come over him. "What the Hell?" He could only stand there in disbelief at what had happened. He stood there for what seemed like hours. Days even. He then realized his training with Gohan and the transformation that made Gohan stronger and faster. That was said to be what was keeping Trunks from beating Vegeta.

He felt that now he had undergone the transformation that he could defeat Vegeta. Just as he was about to turn around and look for Vegeta, he found the saiya-jin prince leaning against a rock obelisk, his head turned away from Trunks. "You!" he cried out to Vegeta. "I’m gonna kill you!" Vegeta turned his head in Trunks’ direction.

"Did you say something?"

"Yeah! Prepare to die for all the people you’ve killed and hurt!"

"I’d probably kill you just for making such an empty threat, but I won’t."

"Empty threat? Hah! We’ll just see about that!" Trunks lunged at Vegeta who was able to dodge the attack, but just barely. Trunks had not anticipated Vegeta making the dodge, and so he lost his balance. He crashed into the rock obelisk, breaking it into several pieces. When he turned around, Vegeta was gone. He looked and finally saw the saiya-jin standing on another rock. He was prepared to attack when Vegeta himself went SSJ. Trunks felt the enormous ki that Vegeta emitted.

He was too scared to do anything. He was scared when he fought Vegeta the first time, but now he knew just what Vegeta was capable of. He could only stare at the warrior before him.

Vegeta spoke. "Well, are you going to attack or not?"

Trunks was too scared. He knew that if he continued to fight that he would be killed. He had no choice but to resign from the fight. "I surrender. Kill me quickly."

* * *

Vegeta stared at hi son who pitifully begged to be spared too much pain. "Could you repeat that?"

"Kill me quickly. I don’t want it to hurt too much."

Vegeta laughed at Trunks’ plea. "You’re saying that you want to die? Well, I was going to let you live, but I suppose that I can grant you your request."

Trunks was caught off guard. Vegeta was going to let him live? How? Why? "If he’s gonna let me live, then may as well let him!" He got up just in time to see Vegeta raising his hand, which was surrounded by a golden aura, ready to strike. "STOP!"

Vegeta complied with a smile on his face, and he lowered his hand. He reverted back into his normal state. "I thought so."

"Just out of curiosity," Trunks began, "why are you letting me live?"

"Why should I kill you? It would be such a waste. It’s always a shame to get rid of a saiya-jin."

"WHAT IS A SAIYA-JIN? TELL ME!" Truks was furious.

"Calm down and maybe I’ll tell you." Trunks listened to Vegeta and sure enough, he calmed down. He calmed down so much that he reverted back to normal. "Now you have to listen to me…"

Vegeta told Trunks about the saiya-jins, their past and their current condition. He told him about how saiya-jins have the potential to be the strongest warriors to have ever lived, and how he and Kakarrot have achieved such status.

"But," Trunks asked, "if that transformation can only be achieved by saiya-jins, then why can I do it as well?"

"You can’t be that dumb, can you?"

"You’re saying that my parents are saiya-jins?"

"One of them, at least."

"My mom’s a saiya-jin?"

Vegeta began to laugh heartily at Trunks’ words. "Her? Hah! Ha! Ha! Not by a long shot! No, Trunks, she’s full-blooded weakling human, I’m afraid."

"How do you know? Do you know my mom?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I know her very well."

"But she never talks about you. Are you just acquaintances?"

"Well," Vegeta started, "not exactly. Think, boy. How many people do you know that can transform like you just did?"

"Well," Trunks though deeply, "three, including myself."

"Which means that you have saiya-jin blood in you. How did it get there?"

"If my mother wasn’t a saiya-jin, then my father must have been."

"Good…"

"But Gohan isn’t my father, he’s far too young. Son Goku was married to Chi-Chi, and as far as I know, he was very true to her."

"That’s right…" Vegeta’s voice was foreboding and insinuating.

"But that would leave only one person left and that’s…" Trunks came to the awful realization of who his father must be. "Oh, God. That’s not possible! No, it’s not true!"

"I’m afraid so…son."

Trunks began to cry. He now knew full well who he really was. "But why? Why didn’t mom tell me?"

"I don’t know. But I can understand her feelings. I don’t think it’s at all abnormal for her to hate me."

"You’re NOT my father! How could you be?"

"There’s no getting around it. It wasn’t what I had expected, either. Believe me, I was quite surprised myself when I learned that Bulma was pregnant with you and that I was the father. I left to be alone and I never returned. It didn’t surprise me that she went back to the weak human, Yamcha. Sometimes she hates him, sometimes she doesn’t."

"But how? Why? How could she ever love someone like you? You’re a cold-hearted killer with no sympathy for anyone or anything!"

"I let you live, didn’t I? You wanted me to spare you, so I did. Can you say now that I have no sympathy?"

"That still doesn’t answer my question."

"I wondered about it myself. I don’t understand that woman or her feelings. There was a time when she was attracted to me, and one night I lost control of myself. I don’t know why, but I felt about her the way she felt about me. For one night I wasn’t myself."

"I’m confused. Where do I go from here? Do I accept Yamcha as my dad, or are you my dad? Bulma is my mom, right? Bra is my half-sister, then. My family is half what it should be. My life isn’t right. It’s a lie!" Trunks began to get angry again. His ki flared and he was surrounded by a blue aura. The rock beneath him began to give away as a small crater formed beneath his feet.

Vegeta stood and watched Trunks as his anger began to rise. After a while, Trunks calmed down again. He then turned to Vegeta and said, "I still have to defeat you for what you did."

Vegeta was surprised at Trunks. Thirty minutes ago he didn’t even know he was a saiya-jin, and now he’s hungry for battle. "I should have expected no less from the heir to the saiya-jin throne." This caught Trunks off guard he had not expected that he was royalty! "If you really want to beat me, then go home and say goodbye to your parents. You will train with me in a special place."

"What? I don’t want to leave home!"

"Don’t worry. We’ll only be gone for a day."

"Huh? Can I grow that much stronger in one day?"

"Well, sort of." Trunks thought about it for a little bit, but never came to any conclusion. He began to look around and he once again noticed the odd craters in the ground.

"I wonder what those craters are."

This caught Vegeta’s attention. "So you noticed. This is somewhat of a special place for me. The land was shaped this way twenty years ago. It was my fateful fight with Kakarrot, or Son Goku as you know him."

"You fought Goku?"

"Yes. It was a shame that it was my only fight with him. He’s the only person really worth fighting."

"I wasn’t told that you fought him."

"Of course! How else do you think the Earth was spared? You don’t think that those other warriors could stop me, did you?"

"Well, I don’t know."

"I hope I get the opportunity to train you. You have the potential to be strong. Kakrrot may be gone, but if you get strong enough, then I can spar with you and relieve my boredom. Now go home."

Trunks left and he thought about Vegeta’s proposal and he finally took Vegeta up on his offer and he said goodbye to his mother, Yamcha, and his half-sister, Bra. He brought some gis that were dark blue and had a little Capsule Corp. symbol on the upper chest area. He was prepared for a day’s worth of excruciating training.

* * *

Vegeta led Trunks high into the atmosphere where they flew for a few hours Trunks was winded well before they got to their destination because he had hardly learned how to fly, and he had never flown in thin air before. After several rests, they finally reached their destination: Kami’s Palace. Vegeta left Trunks at the front of the palace while he left to get some more senzu beans from Karin.

While Trunks was waiting, a tall, green man dressed in a dark blue gi, a white cloak with broad shoulder pads, and a white turban marched out to greet him. Trunks was a little uneasy at first because he had never seen a green man before. When the man stopped a meter in front of Trunks, he spoke. "Dende will be with you shortly. Until then, challenge me."

"E-excuse me?" Trunks stuttered. The man removed the cloak and he threw it on the ground where it made a heavy crash indicating that it was very heavy. He proceeded to remove the turban, which also made a heavy clunk.

"Fight me for now, and then you may proceed. I know you can fight, Trunks. You’re the son of Vegeta; a saiya-jin prince! You have to be able to fight."

"How do you know my name and who I am?"

"I’m Piccolo. I live up here and I see much of what happens on the surface. Now fight!" Trunks did not have time to respond before Piccolo launched his attack. Trunks was hit hard, hard enough to be knocked off the edge of the palace. He fell off the edge, but flew back up a moment later.

"You’re fast! You won’t be easy." Trunks promptly turned SSJ and began his assault. Piccolo was well-trained, though, and very experienced. He held his own against the saiya-jin prince. Vegeta arrived and saw the two sparring. He grinned in amusement.

Trunks used every technique he knew against the warrior from Namek, but he couldn’t overcome Piccolo’s strength and speed. Trunks was knocked to the ground, right at Vegeta’s feet. "Come on, brat. You can do better than that! He’s just a namek, you know. He’s inferior. Have pride!"

"He’s too fast!"

"You’re faster! Now get back in the fight!"

Trunks managed to get back on his feet in time to see Piccolo charging at him. He dodged the first punch, then the second, but he couldn’t dodge the kick. Before he had flown too far away, he grabbed Piccolo’s foot and threw him off the palace. He charged up for an attack and fired a massive blast at the namek. Piccolo was engulfed in the blast.

"Hey, I did it!"

"Don’t be stupid! He’s stronger than that! But you overcame him just then. I told you he was inferior." True enough, Piccolo was still alive, but missing an arm. He flew back onto the palace, where Trunks apologized greatly for making Piccolo unidextrous. Without a word, Piccolo regenerated his missing arm.

"Whoa…" This was certainly a surprise to Trunks.

"Well done, prince of saiya-jins. Walk this way." Trunks and Vegeta followed Piccolo into the palace at the far end of the platform.

"Ah, Trunks! I’ve wanted to meet you for so long!" Dende was sitting on a throne, presiding over the Earth, watching over all that occurred on the surface. "I’m Dende. I see that you have learned much in a very short time. You were even able to hold you own against Piccolo. I would say that he’s the strongest person on this planet, next to your father."

"You’re a – a –" Trunks couldn’t finish his sentence.

"A namek? Yes, I too am from the planet Namek. But unlike Piccolo, I am not a warrior. I am a healer and I have the power to make dragonballs. I even made the ones that exist on Earth right now."

"The dragonballs? I’ve heard of them! I’ve never seen one, though."

"No? Ah, that’s right, you were sheltered from your true past. Here, I can show you one of them. I’m sure there’s one around here somewhere…" Dende formed a small window of mist that revealed a place somewhere on the planet surface. He looked around for a minute or two before finally finding one. It was the four star ball. It was at the Son House. "Aha! I should have known! The four star ball has special significance for the Son Family. The original ball was said to house Son Gohan’s soul and the new ball is supposed to house Son Goku’s spirit. Whether it does or not, I can’t tell, but if they believe it does, then so be it."

"Hey, do you see everything that goes on the planet?"

"You must address him as Kami-sama!" Piccolo’s words made Trunks jump.

"It’s okay, Piccolo. These are friends, and they may address me as they please." He turned to Trunks. "Yes, Trunks, I see all that happens on Earth. Being the god of Earth, I am responsible for the well-being of the planet. I therefore have to know all that goes on."

"That must be tough."

"Trunks!" Vegeta sharply caught Trunks’ attention. "We have training to do."

"Yes, father."

"Remember, Vegeta, this will be your last year in the room."

"I understand."

"Year? I thought you said it would only be a day! You lied!"

"No, Trunks." Dende tried to reassure Trunks. "You will be training in the Room of Spirit and Time. In that room, a year passes in one day. So while you will train there for a year, when you step out, it will be one day from now."

"What? How?"

"The Room of Spirit and Time is another dimensional plane from this one. There, the air is thinner and warmer. The gravity is also ten times what it is on the planet. It’s also the same size as Earth, so make sure you don’t get lost, or else there’s no coming back."

"Get lost?"

"I’ll tell you when we get in there. Now come, we have training to do." Vegeta and Trunks followed Piccolo to the Room of Spirit and Time. The two saiya-jins stepped inside and immediately Trunks was almost off his feet in surprise. "This, Trunks is the Room of Spirit and Time. This is all there is: just this doorway, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen. The training will begin soon.

Trunks looked out as far as he could see, but there was no end to the plain white landscape that was the Room of Spirit and Time. "Is THIS it? There’s nothing here!"

"It’s the perfect place to train! Now…" Vegeta produced a small box. He opened it up and it revealed capsules! When he used one capsule, it yielded a small box. Upon opening the box, he produced two pieces of armor. One for him and the other for Trunks. "Put this on. You’ll need it."

Trunks did as he was told. He noticed that the armor was weighted. "This is a little heavy."

"That’s the idea. The heavier, the better. Now…" Vegeta got into a fighting stance and powered up to SSJ. "The training will begin."

* * *

The next day, Bulma, Yamcha, and Bra sat at the dinner table quietly eating dinner. There came a knock at the door and Bra sprang up to answer it. She opened the door to find a tall, muscular man with long, purple hair, and slightly beat-up clothes. Bra stood there for a second before calling out to her mother. "Mom, it’s for you."

Bulma got up and went to the door to find the man. She knew instantly who it was. "Trunks?"

"Hi, mom." Trunks’ hair was a lot longer than before. It came down to his neck, whereas yesterday it came down to his ears. He was certainly more muscular now than yesterday, and his clothes had seen a fair bit of action. His gi was ripped or torn in about ten different places.

"Trunks?" Bra was thoroughly confused by the sight of her half-brother. "You’re bigger."

"Let me guess," Bulma started, "you trained with your father in the Room of Spirit and Time, didn’t you?"

"Yes."

"Did you get to know him very well?"

"Yes."

"How is he? I haven’t talked to him in a good long while."

"He’s doing alright."

"How do you like him?"

"He may be my father, but Yamcha will always be my dad."

Trunks hugged Yamcha, the man who raised him almost since his birth. Trunks had lived with this man his entire life, he looked up to him, he respected him. A father is someone who is biologically half of someone. A dad is someone who loves you, who feeds you, who helps you get back up when you’re down. Yamcha was always there for Trunks, and so will he be always. Trunks loves Yamcha, as does Bulma. But her heart will always have a place for the mighty prince of saiya-jins.

The End