Lucky Chance Chapter 17 (A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates! But now it’s March Break, I’ll be adding the final chapters!) Who would've thought he was finally gone? Certainly not me. But Cell was gone, all the same. Tousan had done it, with my help. I...I helped defeat the world's greatest threat. A thought that still seemed unreal. There was no way that what happened to me, happened. It seemed utterly impossible! But the memory was so vivid. The memory... Trunks... I squinted slightly as I regained conscious. Slowly, my eyes opened to meet those of a green-faced boy. First impulse? Scream. "AHHH!!" I shrieked, backing away quickly. I was stopped by a pair of hands. "That's no way to thank the namek who healed you," said a soft, soothing voice. Childish, but soothing none the less. I turned to see my father, in perfect health. "Gohan!" I cheered, giving him a hug. I turned back to the boy, who I now recognized as a namek. "I'm terribly sorry." He shrugged. "It's quite alright," he replied. "My name's Dende." I shook his hand. "I'm really sorry about what happen to Trunks." Squinting, I looked to the edge of the palace. I noticed my hair was back to its original raven colour again. Even though I had poured all my strength and pain into that final Kamehameha, I was still hurting on the inside. I may have avenged his death, but he was still gone. Nothing would bring him back. "Are we almost ready to summon the dragon?" called Yamcha. My ears perked. DRAGON?! "Shenron?!" I screamed. The others jumped in surprise. "Uh, yeah," Gohan replied. Then he put a hand to his face. "Oh no! No one told you we had the dragonballs together!" "No one told me there was a new guardian!!" I yelled. "Dende's the new guardian. That's where dad was the entire time. He went to Namek to find a new guardian, and then he searched everywhere for the dragonballs." He looked at me with sympathy. "You didn't know, did you?" I shook my head numbly. "That must've been why you went all out against Cell. Why you went ballistic when Trunks..." He looked away. "Gomen." Before anyone knew it, I was up on my feet, hugging Dende. "Arigato! Arigato!" I cheered. "Trunks can come back! Oh thank you, Dende-sama! We can bring back Trunks!" I released the young god from my death grip. "Well what are you waiting for?! Call him! Call Shenron!" "Well actually, we were waiting for Juuhachi to wake up," Krillin said shyly. He winced, probably waiting for me to yell at him. I smiled. Finally, I was beginning to understand how he felt. I was knee-deep in that emotion myself. I kneed beside the little monk and whispered, "It's okay, Krillin. I know how you feel." He looked at me with surprise, then blushed. "She is different from the 18 in my world. She's...she's all yours. Love is love after all." That turned him a deeper shade of red. I smirked and walked towards Juuhachi. She was sleeping. In all my life, I had never seen her asleep. I nudged her side gently with my foot. She winced and slowly opened her eyes. Krillin brightened. 18 jumped to her feet and looked around. In a split second, Yamcha was on the other side of the palace. "Quick, get away from her!" he warned. "She'll punch a hole right through your stomach!" "Only through his," I muttered. My saiya-jin eyes picked up a faint giggle from 18. "Listen, no one is gonna punch holes through anyone!" Krillin said aggravated. "We can all be friends, since Gohan and Pan beat Cell." Juuhachi appeared surprised. "They did that?" she whispered. "That's right!" Yamcha yelled from his 40-feet-away perch. "They'll make sure you don't punch holes in anyone!" I sighed annoyingly. "You should thank Krillin here," Piccolo said to Juuhachi. "He stayed by your side the entire time." Krillin blushed deeply. "Well...uh..." he stuttered clumsily. "It was...uh...nothing...I mean...I...enjoyed it...ACK!!" "Oh, I get it!" Gohan exclaimed. "Krillin, you have a crush on 18!" Krillin rushed over and smacked the young demi-saiya-jin over the head. Tousan simply laughed, rubbing his head. 18 growled, clearly annoyed. "So that's how it is," she hissed. "Big strong man save my life, so I'm his forever, huh? I'm not that easy. I was wrong about you, Krillin." She turned and flew off the lookout. I felt a twinge of hate for what she just did. "It's okay, Krillin," I whispered. "She'll come around eventually. If she was anything like Juuhachi from the future, you wouldn't be standing here." Krillin laughed nervously. "Yeah right," he joked. "So we ready to summon the dragon?" I looked around. It looked like they had brought Trunks' body to the lookout. I took a seat beside his motionless body. He seemed so...I didn't even want to think about what I'd do if he couldn't come back. "What exactly happened while I was knocked out?" I asked. "Nothing really," Yamcha replied. "Oh, which reminds me." He handed me a bundle wrapped in my orange bandana. "You must've dropped this during the battle. It was still taping the entire time, right up until I picked it up." I unwrapped the bundle to discover the video camera Bulma had given me. "You mean it recorded everything?" I asked curiously. Yamcha nodded. "Wow! And here I thought it broke when I dropped it. Anyways, summon the dragon already!" Dende nodded and put his hands out to the collected dragonballs. "Arise, Great Shenron! Grant our wishes!" he called. The dragonballs began to glow with a brilliant light. I stared in amazement, for this was the first time I had ever witnessed the calling of the eternal dragon. A sudden flash of light brought me out of my trance and temporarily blinded me. I unshielded my eyes and was taken back when I saw a large, Chinese-styled dragon looming over us. I felt overwhelmed by the sight. There was an ounce of pride. Pride for seeing this magnificent creature, the one person capable of bring Trunks back to this world. "I am the eternal dragon, Shenron," the dragon guardian boomed. "I can grant you two wishes." "Two? That's amazing!" Krillin exclaimed. "Our previous dragon could only grant one. Good job, Dende!" "I decided he needed an upgrade!" the young god agreed modestly. "We have to word this carefully so everyone will be brought back," Yamcha explained. "Shenron!" He seemed to concentrate. "I guess bring back everyone killed by creations of Gero!" The dragon's eyes glowed red. "It has been done!" I brightened and waited for a movement from Trunks. His eyes twitched slightly and his hands clenched. He...he was alive again! "Trunks!" I cheered. I quickly embraced him as he awoke. "...Pan...?" he whispered questioningly. "What happened?" "Long story, T-kun," I replied. "But I'll give you a hint. We won." "Really?" he said excitedly. "Cell's gone? That's amazing!" I gave him a warm, loving kiss. "Don't ever scare me like that again, you baka!" I joked. "I care about you too much to lose you again." "Goman nasai," he whispered soothingly. "Would you like to know what the afterlife looks like?" I smirked. "A little later, love," I purred. I turned to the others. "Can we bring back ojiisama?" "The dragonballs can't bring him back," Piccolo explained carefully. "They still have the same restrictions as before." "Oh..." I felt a bit depressed by that news. "We could just go to Namek and use their dragonballs!" Yamcha suggested. 'Namek?' Of course, the Namek’s home-world, their new planet. Maybe... "Hey, don't I get a say in this?" said a voice. I lifted my head. Was that...grandpa again? "Goku?" Trunks called. "Listen, you guys," grandpa said. "I don't think it's a good idea to wish me back. I was sent to Earth to destroy it, and even though I'm always protecting it, it still comes under attack because of me." "No, grandpa! That's not true!" I pleaded. "Don't leave everyone here because you feel guilty for everything that's happened, because you're wrong! These things happen because of different reasons!" "Yeah, dad!" Gohan agreed. "We need you!" "Gohan," grandpa said quietly. "I've taught you everything you need know. I know you'll be fine." "Just because you've taught me some stuff doesn't mean that I don't need you!" I felt bad for Gohan. His own father was making it look like he didn't want to be with him. "Please, Goku," I whispered. "Change your mind. Don't you want to watch your son grow up?" "I'm sorry, but my mind is made. I don't want to cause anymore suffering." I put a hand to my heart. He was practically sacrificing himself again for the sake of the Earth. It was truly noble, but sad. "So..." Gohan whispered sadly. "This is good-bye?" "No, nothing like that." I could've sworn a sensed Goku smile. "It's more like see ya later. Make sure you guys remember the important things in your life so you can tell me all about it when you're done." Then he was gone. His presence was gone for good. A few hot tears rolled down my cheek. Trunks put his arm around me. "Don't cry," he said soothingly. "He wouldn't want you to be sad." I nodded. A few minutes passed, before the happy moods returned to everyone. The others were deciding what to wish for next, Yamcha joking about wishing for money. After a small discussion, Krillin suggested removing the bombs from 18 and 17. The dragon did so and said his farewells, disappearing into the dragonballs as they scattered among the world once again. I sighed. Things were finally back to normal. As normal as this weird planet could get anyway. As Krillin was explaining why he wanted to remove the bombs, Juuhachi jumped from behind a pillar, I'm guess she had been hiding there for quite sometime. She told Krillin that 17 was her brother, not her boyfriend. I suppose me or Trunks should've told him sooner, but it turned out to be pretty funny anyway. Then, 18 was gone again. We were saying our final good-byes to each other as Tien left. Piccolo said he'd stay on the Lookout with Dende, so I said good-bye to him as well. As everyone left, Gohan said something that I'll never forget. "This is the beginning of the rest of our lives!" How true was that? I didn't even have to think about worrying for the future. It was already saved. I finally had a chance to grow up somewhat normal. So in a way, the rest of my life was just waiting to unfold. We could finally live in peace. Everyone. As I jumped from the palace, I gave Trunks a quick kiss. "I gotta go," I said. He gave me a confused look. "What? Where?" he asked worriedly. "Don't worry so much, T-chan," I said playfully. "I have to go with Gohan. He needs all the support he can get. He's the man of the house, so it's his responsibility to tell Chi-chi what happened." I looked away sadly. "It's going to break her heart when she hears the news. She loves him so much..." I truly felt bad for obaasan. She never really had a chance to be with Goku for a long time. He was always gone. Trunks nodded and placed his forehead against mine. "I completely understand," he whispered and gave me a long kiss. "Do what you have to. Meet me at Capsule Corp. tomorrow, okay?" I nodded and flew towards Gohan. "Let's go, chibi tousan," I said. Gohan laughed at the nickname and we flew towards his home. *~*~*~* "N...nani...?" Chi-chi stuttered. "He's...he's..." She choked back a sob. "He can't be!! NO! It's not possible!" Breaking the news to her was harder than expected. I had wrenched at every word when I explained what happened. She broke into tears and collapsed on the floor. "Goku!" she wailed. I got down to my knees and rubbed her back. "It's okay, Chi-chi," I whispered, trying to sooth her. "Please don't cry. He wouldn't want you to be sad. He did this for you. He told me he loves you very much and he had to do this." That seemed to calm her down a little bit, but not much. "Mom, you know he'll always be watching us," tousan added. "He'll never abandon us really. He's in heaven right now." Chi-chi wiped her tears away. "L...like an angel?" she asked, sounding like a three year old. "Exactly," I replied, rubbing her back. An angel was a great way of putting it. I sighed. I hated to leave her and Gohan like this, husband-less and fatherless, but I had to save my own home. Kami only knows what's been happening since Trunks and I left the future. I prayed that my family was safe. Gomen chibi Gohan. I really didn't want to leave. But it was that time. Time we parted ways. I knew they'd be fine. If my grandma from the future was doing just fine without grandpa, then this Chi-chi would be too. Well...mirai grandma was managing because she had me. At least this Chi-chi had little Gohan. And by the tells of a much smaller, younger ki growing, she'd have a new son or daughter. Oh? How'd I know that? How could Gohan not notice? If he did, maybe he just wasn't saying anything. Oh well. It was time to sleep and I needed to pack for the journey. Still, I wondered about that ki...Must be a side effect from Ultra Saiya-jin. Heightened sense of ki. *~*~*~*~ It's amazing how quickly time traveled from one day to another. And I would know all about time, ne? Before I knew it, I was at Capsule Corp. the next morning, holding a few bags of souvenirs and the video tape from the Cell Games which remarkably survived, unlike the professional video camera brought by those bumbling reporters, which coincidentally 'broke' just as Gohan and I beat Cell. Who cares? Anyways, everyone had gathered to see us off. Trunks and I were dressed back in our original outfits and swords strapped over our backs once again. We also had black bands of cloth tied around our arms. Everyone did. It signified that someone close had died. Sorta our way of paying respects to grandpa. The time machine was waiting in the yard. We were saying our good-byes to everyone before the big trip home. "I'm so proud of you guys," Bulma said, while giving us a hug. "We can't thank you enough for what you've done for us. Everyone on Earth owes you their lives! If there's anything you need, just come back and tell us, okay?" "Sure," Trunks said. I kneeled down to Gohan. "Later, big guy," I whispered. "Take care of grandma for me." He nodded while smiling. Trunks turned to Vegeta. Vegeta snorted and gave a two-finger salute. Trunks smirked and returned with his own salute. "By the way," Vegeta said to me. "About the whole silver hair thing." I listened carefully. "That actually has happened before now that I think about it. There was a legend about a female saiya-jin who had been caught in a 12 year war and her entire family had been killed. People say it threw her over the edge when her mate was killed and she turned Ultra Saiya-jin. She went crazy, basically, killing everyone around, including herself. It was stricken from most records because the king at the time thought it was a disgrace. Not only was Ultra Saiya-jin only achievable for saiya-jin women, but it was only possible when that woman had suffered a great deal. Both which the king thought made saiya-jins look weak. On a lighter note, she did stop the war." I looked down. So that explained that. "Would I be able to reach it again?" I asked. Vegeta shrugged. "Only two women have every reached it, in both incidents, they killed themselves by accident. I'm surprised you survived..." He paused. "But after all, you're a spawn of Kakorrot's brat." I smiled. "Thanks. And I’m sorry about how I treated you at Kami’s Lookout." He snorted, probably accepting my apology. "Hey, you guys!" Bulma called to get everyone's attention. "I thought it might be cool if we took a picture of us all together before Trunks and Pan leave." The others nodded in agreement. Bulma's mom clasped her hands together and got a Polaroid camera from the table nearby. Everyone gathered together in a big group. Even Vegeta was dragged into it. "Say cheese!" Mrs. Briefs chanted in a sing-song voice. "Cheese!" "Bakas," Vegeta muttered. Three pictures were snapped. Bulma handed two of the undeveloped pictures to me and Trunks. "These are yours," she said. "They take a while to develop." "Arigato, okaasan," Trunks said thankfully. He took my hand and we hopped into the time machine. After setting the controls to take us back to our future, it started up and levitated into the air. "Bye!" they called from the ground. "Don't forget us!" "See ya!" we shouted to them. I looked at the photos given to us. They weren't really developed yet, so all that was there was black. Trunks sighed sadly, probably upset because he was going to miss them a lot. He reluctantly pushed the button that would take us home. Take us back to the desolated world we had to call home. But it wouldn't be like that for long. When we got back, we would put an end to the androids' ways and restore our planet to the beautiful Earth it was before. It wouldn't be long now.