Trunks felt his heart aching as he watched Tayhei harshly swipe away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. With the darkness and the soft light from the moon, they glinted like diamonds, sparkling as they trickled between the cracks of her fingers and fell to the ground. Her eyes were huge and shining, and so full of emotion that it was impossible to look away from her. As she cried, he could actually feel her pain. It seeped into him, as if they were linked together; breathing the same breaths, sharing the same heartbeats --- living the same life. Moving himself closer, he put his arms around her and held her close, reveling in her warmth and her scent. He leaned his head down until they were touching forehead to forehead and stared deep into her deep green eyes. She stared back, her eyes dull, with tears still shining on her soft cheeks. Together, they both took a shaky breath, their eyes locked and unblinking.
"It was not," He began in a hoarse voice, "Your fault."
Tayhei shook her head slowly, and moved so that was resting her forehead gently against Trunks’s shoulder. Her free hand suddenly curled into a tight fist, as if she had centered all of her anger and sadness there and was trying to crush it. "If it weren’t for me, she would have stayed alive. I should have never told her to stay in the house. She could have escaped. She could have run away."
She paused for a moment, her chin trembling dangerously as and she buried her face against him, reaching out to grip the collar of his jacket. In response, Trunks brought his other arm up and ran it over her hair, still holding onto her hand tightly. Seeing her in such pain and feeling her cry against him was enough to bring tears to his own eyes. He felt so protective of her then, wanted to just keep holding onto her until the world ended, keeping her safe from any harm and any danger. He never wanted to her to have to cry like this again, never wanted anything to torture her soul like the death of her little sister had. It wasn’t possible --- he knew it wasn’t possible. In a world that was run by the jinzouningen and overrun with death and hatred, it was impossible to keep anyone safe. But he wanted to keep her safe. His heart ached to keep her safe.
"I should have been the one who died." Tayhei declared softly, with a shaking sob.
Trunks stared for a moment, before holding her even tighter and letting her cry into his shoulder, her small body shaking with sobs. He could never have imagined her to be one to cry like this --- never imagined that this much emotion could have come from her heart. But now that all of her suppressed emotions were tumbling out of her and spilling on to the ground, he understood. He understood what had propelled her on her journey and what she was fighting for. It was like what he had felt when he had found Gohan’s body, so many years ago. He remembered feeling as though the whole universe had come crashing down, as though there was no more hope. He couldn’t say that his entire life had been destroyed right then --- he still had his mother to take care of him. But losing Gohan was definitely something that changed him forever. It was what had made him into the person that he was now. He had become stronger because of his death, learned to persevere because of his death. But if he had a chance to go back and undo it, to let Gohan live, he would have. Victory should not have to come at the price of another life.
"No one should have to die, Tayhei." He spoke in a voice that was well beyond his years. He felt so wise, so ancient. "All of us have fallen victim to the jinzouningen one way or another, you can't punish yourself for their actions. I believe Yakosoku has it best out of all of us; she isn't here to see Earth be destroyed."
They fell into silence once more and she continued to cry against him, still holding onto him tightly. Then after awhile, her crying ceased and the shuddering sobs stilled. Slowly she moved, bringing her legs around and curling up at his side, her hand gripping his, warm and comforting. Still so close to him, she took a deep, relaxed breath, then nestled herself deeper into his shoulder. When he angled his head down to gaze at her face, he saw that her eyes were shut and her frown had been pulled back into the a look of contentment and slumber. He stared down at her in adoration, feeling happier and more peaceful than he had felt in a very long time. Gently, he laid his head down on top her hers and ran his fingers through her long golden hair, watching the way that shimmered in the moonlight. He smiled warmly, and thought back to the moment when he saw her on the beach, so free and so delighted to be there with him. And then he thought about what she had written in the sand, the word that she had so carefully carved with a seashell, the word that he had just caught a glimpse of before the waves washed it away.
“Hope.” He whispered softly, then kissed the top of her head.
I never had much time to think about love when I was younger. To me, it was only something that I read about in fairly tales; it was something that was simply too beautiful and too perfect for me to believe in. I had been jaded by this world, jaded by the jinzouningen and the destruction and horror that they had caused. I had seen so little of love that I wasn’t even sure that it existed anymore. But perhaps love is just another one of the few things that the jinzouningen will never be able to crush. It survives and flourishes, growing and changing without hindrance. It may have been hiding all of this time, may have been buried beneath the ashes and the rubble of the broken cities. But love is there; it has always been there, always waiting for the two souls who were willing to let it touch their hearts.
----Tayhei’s journal; Vol 2: Page 70
Just before sunrise, he gently shook her shoulder to wake her up. He had been debating on whether or not to do disturb her; she looked so peaceful and so comfortable as she slept against him. She had slept soundly the entire night, breathing softly into his neck, her heartbeat strong and even against him. He had stayed awake, alternating between watching her sleep and staring up at the nighttime sky. He had been afraid to fall asleep, afraid that he might wake up and find that it was all a dream --- find that she had disappeared. He wasn’t afraid of the jinzouningen today, knew that they would not seek him out. Today would be a perfect day --- not a day when they had to run for their lives and hide in fear. Today they would be free and happy. And he wanted to spend as much of this day with her as possible.
Her eyelashes fluttered softly, then she opened her green eyes to look up at him. She stared at him gently, and for once, he wasn’t quite sure what he saw in her gaze. It took her only a moment to wake up and then her eyes sharpened with energy and awareness. Her mouth was turned up into something that wasn't quite a smile, but a sign of happiness.
"Sorry to wake you up, but I have something I want to show you." He told her softly, unabashedly tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear. "Before the sun rises."
Tayhei nodded, and then stood to her feet, stretching. His body instantly grew cooler without her touch and for a second, he seriously debating grabbing her and pulling her back down into his lap. She reached a hand down to help him up, and he accepted and stood beside her. He was still a bit sore from his fight yesterday and assumed that he would be feeling it for quite some time. Most of the bruises and scratches would heal quickly enough, but the strain on his muscles would take much longer to mend. He probably shouldn’t have even been flying at the moment, but he planned to take her somewhere. And flying was by far the easiest route to take.
He pointed to the air in silence, and the two of them rose off the ground and flew into the sky. The cool wind whipping through his hair and pouring onto his face woke him out of his dazed state, and he was instantly wired with anticipation of a new day. Trunks threw a glance at the girl, flying silently beside him her sharp green eyes exploring the countryside below them. They flew beyond the obliterated mess of the city and beyond the green forest that surrounded it’s edge, both silent, but content. As the world rolled by them in a blur of color and motion, time seemed to suspend, making the flight seem endless. The only indication of time was the way that the sky began to light up in the distance; the horizon was tinged with the slightest hint of color, and that color began to slowly seep its way up through the sky. When they finally reached their destination, he still said nothing, but smiled softly, taking in the beauty.
From above, it looked like a sea of gold; wheat and wildflowers waved gently in the breeze, swaying back and forth, rising and falling like swells of the ocean. It was a deep valley between two green hills, a valley that hid its beauty until the very tip of the peak was reached and you were able to look down at the land below. He descended slowly, dropping to his feet in a patch of wildflowers. Pink and purple and blue surrounded him on all sides, and the smell was thick and intoxicating, so wonderful that he had to take a moment to close his eyes and deeply inhale. Tayhei landed beside him and raised her head up to the mountains on the horizon, where the sun was just rising above the peeks.
It started off slow. As the sun rose before them, light began to fall on the ground. A bright scarlet colored light crept towards them slowly, moving silently and softly over the golden field. It reached their feet, then spread beyond them, sweeping up the sides of the valley and onto the green hills. It was still for a moment, then suddenly everything around them was instantly tinged pink; the air, the wheat, the wildflowers, their faces. It washed over them, filling the world with light and beauty as if they had unknowingly stumbled into a watercolor painting.
He turned to her and nodded his sky blue eyes over to the sun, which was rising before them, burning red and glowing orange. "Every morning when I wake up, that's the only thing that gives me determination. Each day it appears on the skyline, seemingly brighter and more powerful day. As the long as the sun rises each morning, I am depended on by the people of this planet. I am the last warrior, the Earth's only hope. And hope is all that we have left now. It’s the one thing that we can’t give up, the one thing that the jinzouningen can’t take from us. As long as that sun still rises, there is hope."
Trunks had declared it in a determined voice, a voice that held pain and pride and strength. He held his head high against the burning sun that was washing across his face, illuminating his features. He believed. He believed in what he said without a doubt. And he wanted to share that with her, wanted her to realize what they were fighting for and what this fight meant to him. And as he turned to see her face, and looked into her green eyes, he knew that she had understood. She had heard it in his voice and read it in her heart: Hope ran through all of them, courses through all of their veins and lived in all of their souls. That would never die, no matter what the jinzouningen did. And he was a part of that hope, the greatest part of that hope.
Trunks gave her a smile, then squinted back into the bright sunlight. She understood, because she was a part of that hope too. They were in this together, until the very end. It felt good to have someone that knew him; that didn’t just see his soul, but felt it. It suddenly made life seem so much easier and so much lighter. Relaxed and content, he bent down and sat down in the meadow, stretching his legs out before him. His movements caused the flowers to shift and petals rose up, carried by the breeze, and flew through the air above them. Tayhei moved as well and settled beside him in the wildflowers, reaching out to take his hand in hers. Warmth instantly spread through him, and he felt his heart beginning to ache in that same, familiar way once more.
“I come here a lot.” He told her softly, releasing her hands to pick a wildflower from the ground. It was true, he had come here almost every day since Gohan had died so long ago; the meadow and this valley held a strange healing power. From the first moment that he had tripped into this field of wildflowers, and seen the sun rise before him, he had been touched. No matter what had happened, or how much he lost in life, this place seemed to calm his troubles. It was a safe haven where he could lose himself in the warmth of the sunlight and scent of fresh wildflowers. He selected a long, deep, purple lilac and handed it to her gently, smiling at the way that her cheeks suddenly spread with color.
"If I had known about this place before, I would have come here too.” She murmured, then smiled shyly, twirling the flower in her hands. Trunks felt his heart skip a beat when her green eyes came up to meet his.
She reclined back and nestled her head into the soft wildflowers and wheat, stretching her long legs out before her. Her eyes closed, and she sighed deeply and silently; he could almost see all of the troubles and pain rush out of her body. Trunks laughed lightly at that, then bent back to lie in the flowers as well. For the moment, it was as if nothing outside of that field existed. Together, they stared up at the sky, where a few large white clouds had gathered over the rising sun, tinged pink on the bottom.
The clouds overhead were moving again, forming a shape that looked suspiciously like a large white and pink rabbit. She was happy here, content here. She didn’t know whether it was the field, the morning sunshine, or the scent of the flowers, but this valley held some kind of a magical ambience. Trunks, she knew, had something to do with it as well. If she had been here alone, the wildflowers still would have had an effect on her, but the fact that Trunks was here with her made it even more special. She wanted to smile to herself, thinking of the boy that had changed her life so much in the past few months. Even when he hadn't been with her, she was still thinking of him. Somehow, he had quietly and slowly managed to change her. He had carefully brought back out the child in her heart that she thought had long since disappeared.
Looking at him now, even out of the corner of her eye, she could clearly see that he was still so beautiful. The golden warrior that she had thought was an entirely different person was laying next to her in this beautiful sun-soaked field, occasionally brushing her hand with his and causing her heart to skip lightly in her chest. She had wanted to meet him for so long, wanted to be able to hear his voice and look into his eyes. She had wanted to know the golden warrior that she so often watched and thought about. And now, being with him, she realized that it was so much more than friendship and comfort to be with Trunks. It was something all together different from that. She could barely think straight about it without feeling butterflies rise up and dance around in her soul. The thought that he may not feel the same way about her caused her breath to catch in her throat suddenly and her limbs grow numb. It seemed as though he did. She felt in her heart that he did. But she had to know.
"Trunks-kun,” She began slowly, hoping that she didn’t sound as weak and nervous as she felt at the moment. “I can’t begin to thank you for how much you have done for me. You welcomed me into your home, gave me your friendship, saved my life...."
"You don’t have to thank me. Why wouldn’t I do all that for you?" He said softly, and his face flushed bright red in the morning sunlight as his hands fidgeted nervously on his chest.
There was an awkward pause between them. Silence hung around them stiffly, momentarily blocking out the fresh scent of the flowers and the comfort of the sun. The questions in her mind were driving her crazy, seemingly screaming inside between her ears in all directions, threatening to spit out of her mouth any moment. She folded her arms behind her head and leaned further back, feeling foolish. She wanted to just outright ask him, and be direct about her feelings, but she couldn’t seem to make herself speak. Instead she just stared at him with open and trusting eyes, hoping that he would be able to see what she felt without her even having to say the words.
Trunks was the one that finally broke the silence. He sat up slowly, waving away the wildflowers that moved in front of him. He stared at her and opened and closed his mouth rapidly, as if deciding what to say. After a long moment, he gave up, closed his eyes, and dropped his head. The lavender strands fell into his face, hiding his sky blue eyes from her view. Tayhei felt her heart jump slightly at the sight of him; at his lack of words and the pure moment of humanity he was showing. Perhaps they were both to shy to say what they were thinking and feeling. Perhaps in this kind of situation, they would never be able to find the words that they were looking for. She understood that. They were two friends, trembling on the edge of something much stronger than that, in a world where things like love did not exist. She sat up, placed her hands in her lap. No, that wasn’t right. Love did exist. She knew that it existed because she could feel it. And no only could she feel it in her own heart, but she knew, even though he hadn’t said anything, that he felt it as well.
She leaned toward him slowly, feeling the brush of wheat against her cheeks as she moved closer to him. The sun was still rising behind Trunks, outlining his entire body with a heavenly glow. All around them the world seemed to be tinged in an ever deeper pink as she sank into his eyes, never looking back. He looked just like he had when they had first met: her, on the brink of death --- him, her sweet savior, carrying her off to his underground world. But he looked even more handsome now, if that were possible; the youthful look on his face had become chiseled into delicate, perfect features, and his shoulders had become broader, more outlined and hard.
As if he had been admiring her the same way that she had been admiring him, he raised his hand hesitantly, and ran it along her jaw line, cupping her chin. She stared up at him, her green eyes glistening with happiness and adoration. With his other hand, he reached down and took hers, bringing it to his lips and gently kissing her palm. Then he leaned forward and brought his lips to hers.
She turned her face up to his and they kissed with a breathless, beautiful urgency, seemingly falling into one another. He reached down and placed his strong arms around her, and she melted into them, rolling sideways in the garden of wildflowers. His lips were so soft and so much warmer than she had imagined; his arms felt so much stronger and more powerful than she had thought. His hands were tangled in her hair, caressing her face, and they were soft and gentle; he touched her as if she were the most delicate, precious thing in the world.
Trunks brought his lips to her ear, kissed her. “I love you.” He whispered in a raspy voice.
It sent shivers down her spine to hear it, and her heart flipped and stumbled right at his feet. She remembered everything then, every word that had been said between them, and every look they had shared, every time her face had light up with a smile just thinking about him. She realized then, and for the first time, what true love was. It was so much more than loving a family member, or a friend; a person that you had been comfortable and affectionate with your entire life. It was this. It was a deep aching feeling in her heart, a momentous need that burned with such an intensity that she was almost frightened.
Tears fell from her eyes slowly as she turned her head to stare into his sky blue eyes and murmured against his lips.
"I love you too."
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