Goku reappeared at Karin Tower, barely able to remain standing as he let Trunks' body drop on the floor. He himself nearly collapsed over Trunks. Karin-sama quickly ran over to Goku with the only senzu left. As he attempted to feed it into Goku's mouth, Goku grabbed it from his hand and popped it into Trunks' mouth instead.

"Goku... That's the last senzu we have," Karin managed to say.

Goku didn't say anything. He just watched Trunks intently. Trunks didn't react to te senzu. Am I too late, Goku thought as he began to despair. No, he couldn't have mistaken. Trunks' ki was still there, barely perceptible, but it's there. Come on Trunks, you can't die. He opened Trunks' mouth to find the magic bean still on his tongue. Goku literally rammed the senzu down Trunks' throat to make sure he swallowed it.

Trunks awoke with a start to find Goku in front of him. He was pale, his body was bruised and bloody, and his ki was alarmingly weak.

"Goku-san!" Trunks cried out in alarm, as he scrambled up.

Goku only smiled weakly. "Go back and save your future, Trunks. You can do it..."

"But what about you...?"

"Looks like I'm going to die of a heart disease after all." He smiled wistfully. "But this timeline's saved, so I have no regrets. Now it's up to you to save yours."

But I can't do it without you, Trunks nearly cried out. But he didn't say anything.

"You can do it." Goku seemed to be able to read Trunks' mind. "Your mother... she has the device. ...do it, Trunks. For Gohan... for your father..."

And then he closed his eyes and died.

Trunks could only watch as Goku breathed his last. He couldn't even cry anymore. He's done that enough in the past and now he just felt numb. After a few minutes, he picked up Goku's body and turned to the brown cat who kept a respectful silence throughout the whole time.

"I'll take him back," he said to Karin in his soft, quiet voice. Karin only nodded as Trunks flew back to Kame Island with Goku's body.
 
 

On Kame Island, Kamesennin, Bulma and ChiChi collected the bodies of the fallen warriors. They've located Kuririn's body in the giant hole on the ground, and the old turtle had returned from the ocean carrying Chiaouzu's body. Neither woman shed any tears anymore as they lined the bodies of their friends and loved ones on the beach.

Bulma looked at Vegeta's battered body. She wondered if he thought of her and Trunks in his last moments. She'd like to think that he did, although she'll never know now. She glanced at ChiChi. Poor ChiChi. She's lost both her son and her husband in a single day, and in a most horrible way. At least Bulma still had little Trunks. She frowned. Why did Goku take Trunks' body away with him?

Just as the thought entered her head, Trunks landed on the beach, carrying the lifeless Goku. He didn't say anything as he glanced at the dead bodies lined on the beach. He just walked over to where they were and laid Goku's body down together with the others. Bulma stared at her son for a while, then she ran to him and hugged him tightly, sobbing. ChiChi knelt by Goku's body as she traced her fingers over his face, tears streaming freely from her eyes.

After what seemed like a long time, Trunks finally asked, "What happened to the cyborgs?"

"I was too late..," Bulma said as her sobs gradually died down. She showed Trunks the remote stopper, then pointed to the still, unmoving No.17 and No.18.

"...and No.16?"

"Goku destroyed him," Bulma replied. She then told Trunks of Goku's remarkable transformation into Level 2 Super Saiyajin and how he had totally destroyed No.16 with the giant Kame Hame Ha.

Trunks walked over to Goku's dead body and knelt on one knee beside it. "You died as a warrior, Goku-san. A true Saiyajin warrior." Then he got up.

"Stand back." he said to the three remaining people on the beach. He walked over to No.17 and No.18, his aura glowing as he turned into Super Saiyajin. Wordlessly, he fired a huge ki blast at the two cyborgs. And another. And another. They had disintegrated at the first blast, but he didn't stop. He went on and on until he felt all his energy drained, then he let himself fall down on his hands and knees on the hot white sand. He remained in that position for some time, feeling just ...emptiness. Then he felt his mother's hand on his shoulder.

"Come, Trunks. Let's go home."
 
 

The next day, after the bodies of the fallen warriors had been laid to rest, Trunks prepared the time machine to return to his own time. He's got the means of destroy the evil cyborgs now, and he's also grown stronger after his narrow escape from death yesterday. His mother was there to see him off, holding his baby self. So, he'd still grow up fatherless in this timeline. His grandparents were also there, as well as the rest of the friends he's made while he was here. Kamesennin, Oolong and Puaru. ChiChi was there too. He hoped she would be stronger than his timeline's version of ChiChi.

He had changed this timeline. To the rest of the world, it was for the better, as they'll never know of the horrors he's had to live through. But for this timeline's version of himself, it was a loss, as this Trunks will never get to know the great warriors who had sacrificed their lives for the world. But he'll grow up in peace, so it's better for him too. And maybe it's better for him not to know his father. At least he won't be disappointed, as he had been. He felt a little guilty at the thought. He had been disappointed, but only because he had expected too much. His father had, after all sacrificed his life to fight the cyborgs.

Trunks said goodbye to them, then the time machine disappeared, taking him away from the people whose lives he's changed, and back to his own time. Now, it's time to change the future.
 
 

The end...

...but not yet for Trunks. To find out what happened later to Trunks and his world, see A Mirai's Tale.

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