So This is How it Ends?

Death was something they hadn't really considered before. Either of them. It had been a constant presence in their lives since they were children, at the very least as a threat if not something more substantial. Trunks had even died himself, way back when, though his memories of it were unspecific and vague, the way a dream is when you wake up or like so many lost days from childhood. Bura had no personal experience to speak of, but they had both seen others die. Seen them brought back too. But still, they had never given any real thought to their own deaths. The real thing this time. No more Dragon Balls. No more coming back.

Bura thought about this, somewhat amused, instead of actually contemplating her last few ragged breaths. They were numbered - always had been, but now they were down to a number she could actually count to. She was leaning against a small boulder. No. Not leaning. That implied that she had chosen that position and could choose to change positions at any time if she so desired. She was slumped against it, her back unfortunately being poked by a sharper edge. Didn't matter. Least of her problems. Her right hand twitched at that, doing its best to keep pressure on the wounds to her side. Trying to keep her insides inside. Trying.

She turned to look at her brother. He was better off. Better off, but still not great. He'd taken a blow to his head and had cuts all over. His left leg was completely scorched, smoldering uselessly. He hadn't even made it to the boulder before he collapsed on his back, breathing heavily and staring at the clear sky. He didn't seem quite lucid yet, but she could tell he'd pull through. A little worse for wear, but he'd taken worse hits, survived worse fights.

He seemed to notice her gaze, because his eyes shifted to look at her. "They haven't even noticed yet." At first she didn't understand him, but then she realized who he meant. She stretched out her mind to Capsule Corps and Dende's Lookout. No. No one had noticed they were gone. No one had picked up their flaring ki's as they fought off the alien trio. No one had noticed those three aliens get blasted into the next dimension, nor the rapidly failing life forces of both her and her brother. They would probably notice within the next hour or two. Too late to do her any good, but she decided that was fine. Trunks would make it. Live to fight another day.

"It's alright," she said, flinching at how raspy her voice was. She coughed slightly, hoping to shift the blood that was clogging her throat. She had to bite her tongue from wincing too much under Trunks' scrutiny.

She'd had a lot of roles to fill in her life. Loving daughter. Carefree teenager. Serious student. Aggressive businesswoman. Genius inventor. Cunning fighter. Caring wife. Nurturing mother. Now it was her duty to take on the role of consoling sister. She didn't begrudge him that. He had been there for her throughout her life. She could be there for him one last time in hers. She'd protect him from how much she was hurting. Distract him from the fact that she was dying now.

She tried a comforting smile but managed something that probably came off more like their father's sneer. "Those bastards were never very observant. Damn Sons."

Trunks snorted, whether in agreement or annoyance she wasn't sure. His eyes went back to the sky, and she let herself wince a little. The adrenaline from the battle had faded, her bloodlessness causing her to become dizzy. She had originally thought she had a whole hour left. She was now convinced it was at most half that.

They enjoyed an almost companionable silence for a few minutes. Trunks seemed to be very intent on watching the clouds pass by overhead. It probably helped him ignore his leg. It must have been very painful. If he didn't have a sensu bean it would probably take months to heal properly. Bura smiled, the idea of sensu beans triggering a wave of fond - and some less so - memories of past fights and experiences. Memories of people long gone. Years gone. How long had it been since they were all there together at Capsule Corps at one of her mother's ridiculous parties?

The Old Capsule Corps Compound, she corrected herself and winced from something that had absolutely nothing to do with her injuries. The New Compound had been standing in place of the old one for... what was it? Twenty years now? She remembered the rubble... the smoke... Mom... Dad...

"I miss Dad," she said suddenly, no longer able to endure the emotional onslaught alone.

He turned back to her, but she couldn't look at him. Five years later and it was still a sore spot between them. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go with this. Bringing up Dad now was probably a terrible idea. There was no way this subject would not lead to an argument. She waited as the silence dragged on and her blood drained out.

"Yeah," he finally said, eyes back on the sky. "I miss him too."

Bura let out a long gush of air, relief spreading through her. Peace offering, maybe?

"I miss Mom."

Bura nodded in agreement, avoiding the mental images that accompanied that thought. "I miss Gohan and Videl," she added quietly.

"And Chichi."

"I miss Krillin and 18."

"And Piccolo."

"Aw hell," Bura said, a playful smile creeping onto her face, "I even miss Goku."

Trunks smiled his appreciation at that. It was no secret that Bura wasn't... fond of Goku. She didn't outright dislike the man, but she couldn't understand how, between him and her father, he was considered the better man. The man who had left behind his wife and sons on several occasions. Vegeta had never left them. Not until he died. But she realized her confession was true. He might be a near-terrible husband and father, but he was overall a good man. Admittedly, most of the "good ol' days" were way back before he disappeared.

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling wider. "Even Goku."

The playful silence drifted on for a few moments. This time Trunks interrupted it. "You know who I don't miss?"

"Who?"

"That asshole Hercule Satan. Honestly, Gohan and Goku were god-damned saints for putting up with him. Uub too. That man got on my nerves. The only reason I didn't ever punch him and ruin his whole 'strongest man in the world' bullshit was out of respect for Pan."

Bura tried not to laugh - it hurt too much. She had occasionally felt that way too. But again, loyalty to Pan was more important than satisfying Saiyan urges. "Yeah? Well I don't miss that perv Roshi. That prick was always trying to look up my skirt."

Trunks laughed - which would most likely not have been his reaction at the time of said tom-peepery. "I almost feel bad about this one, but I don't miss Yamcha. Too much bad blood with Dad I guess. I don't know. They never actually... fought or anything, but the tension when those two were around each other was almost palpable."

Bura nodded. She too had unconsciously picked up their father's dislike of the scar-faced man. And she too felt a little bad about it. Yamcha had been perfectly friendly to them. Sure he could be a bit... quippish when it came to their Dad, but so could anyone else. Speaking of Yamcha...

"You know who I absolutely do not miss?" she asked, a slight edge of annoyance lacing her voice.

"Who?" This wasn't just about continuing their little memory game. His curiosity was genuinely spiked.

"That asshole Tien." Trunks looked at her incredulously, waiting patiently for her to continue. "Oh don't give me that look, you know perfectly well why. He comes over to OUR house for Mom's parties and then has the gall to act like a complete ass to Dad. Dad hadn't done shit in years - except for of course saving the planet on MULTIPLE occasions - but for some reason Mr. Three Eyes still won't trust him. And then he acts like a complete ass to us, like at any moment all three of us are going to go Super and destroy the planet and slaughter the inhabitants."

"How long have you been holding that in?"

"Since I was twelve."

"You're right - he was kind of an ass about that. I'd never even (purposely) blown up a building but he talked to me with this strained, obviously forced politeness that was..."

"Infuriating?"

He chuckled. Bura always did have more of a temper than he did. "I was going more for annoying."

"And what the fuck is up with him and Chiaotzu? That was just fucking disturbing."

Trunks almost broke down laughing. Tears were starting to well up in his eyes. Bura couldn't help but join in. It was just so ridiculous - not just thinking about whatever the hell Tien and Chiaotzu had going on, but the fact that they were talking about it now, surrounded by their own blood, on the verge of death.

Their chuckles gradually died out and they resumed their silence. But silence let the other memories come back. Bura sighed to herself. I miss Dad...

As if on cue, Trunks finally asked it. The question he always asked. The one she never answered.

"Why did you let him die?"

The playful tone was gone. A much older man than the boy she had grown up with was there next to her, staring at her intently. Of course. It always leads to an argument.

"I didn't-"

"You did." She didn't try to deny it this time.

She had let him die, technically. Bura had known for three years that it was only a matter of time. Knew what Vegeta was waiting for. All he needed was an enemy stronger than him to attack Earth. Or maybe not stronger, but strong enough. Three years he picked off all the weaker challengers that came by, all of them made curious by Goku, Trunks and Pan's brief cruise into space. Three years Bura knew that once he found what he was looking for, he wouldn't be coming home from that fight. Everyone had been shocked and devastated when they found out he was dead. Everyone but Bura. While devastated, she simply lacked the shock. It was what gave it away. Gave away that she had known, had actually talked to her father about it.

"I did."

Trunks was shocked by her admission. Why now? Why finally admit to it now? If he really thought about it, even for a second, he knew why she'd chosen this moment to acknowledge her part in their father's death. But he ignored the nagging feeling and pushed on. "Why?"

"How could I not?"

He wanted to scream all the reasons why she shouldn't have. He was their father, for Dende's sake. He shouldn't have needed to go beyond that reason. But he had never gotten as far as an admission from her, so he decided not to press his luck by yelling. He decided to wait with what (hopefully) was a calm and collected expression.

Eventually, she obliged him. "When we found Mom's body in the rubble… You didn't see what happened. You left to go kill the bastard who had killed her. But I stayed. Dad stayed. Dad…" When she didn't continue he turned his head slightly to look at her. Her eyes were glossy, deep in the memory.

She coughed slightly, seeming to come back around. "Dad may as well have died that day."

Trunks had to acknowledge that Vegeta had been… different after their mom died. Quieter, more subdued. Still the Prince of all Saiyans, but not as involved in his own life anymore.

"You know what it's like to lose your mate, Trunks. And you've only gone a year without her. Dad went fifteen." She paused, letting that sink in. Trunks had been a mess when Marron died. He had recently started getting better… But Bura realized how pointless his recovery had been. He'd slide back into his depression once she died. Fifteen minutes maybe. Ten?

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I couldn't. You would've tried to stop him."

"You're damn right I would've-"

"Trunks," she said sternly. "This was something he needed to do. He needed to die on his feet. In battle. Being useful. But… he needed to die."

It was hard for Trunks to reconcile the two ideas of his father. The man who could do anything and the man who didn't want to do it any more. "Suicide by battle," he mumbled. "Fucking great."

They were quiet for a while. Her ki was so low… she wasn't even sure if she was really still there. It was then that she snapped out of it. She couldn't die like this. She was a Saiyan, like her father. She had to die on her feet. In battle. Battle…

"Trunks?" She felt like she was in a dream. He looked at her, then seemed to actually see her state for the first time.

"Fuck, B-chan," he said, looking down to the blood on the rocks. He sat up a little, trying to keep his leg still. He looked for her ki and was surprised he could barely sense it. She was right there and he could barely feel it.

"I have a favor to ask you. Two, in fact."

No, he silently begged. Oh Dende, don't talk like this. No final requests. Please, B-chan, you'll be fine. Oh please let her be fine- "Of course."

"Promise me."

"You're not going to tell me first-?"

"Trunks!" she hissed. She didn't have time for this. Five minutes? "Just promise." Then a quick, "Please."

His mouth had gone dry. This was trouble. He knew it was trouble. But… "Alright. Fuck. I promise, okay?"

She nodded. "Take care of Goten and the kids. He'll be… When he finds out, he'll be…" she didn't want to say it, didn't want to think about it. Her head hurt enough already, why did she have to think about this too? "Just take care of them. Don't… don't let him join me too quickly."

It was as bad as he thought it would be, hearing her make her last requests. It was like reading someone's will while they were still alive. No, he amended. This was much worse than he thought it would be. "You didn't need to ask me to do that. I'd do it anyway." There was a lump in his stomach. He knew that wasn't why she'd made him swear.

"I know. Thank you." She didn't want to ask him. Knew it would make it so much worse for him later on. But she needed it. He was her older brother, he'd take care of her, even if it hurt him. Right?

"Trunks… Kill me."

It was probably a good thing that he was already on the ground. "No."

"You promised."

"I'm not fucking going to kill my own sister." He glared at her, angrier than he'd ever been at her. Ever. "No fucking way," he hissed at her.

She didn't even waste the energy trying to reply right then. Instead, she gathered what little was left of her bodily strength and forced herself away from the boulder. Off the ground. Onto her knees, now onto her feet. Even with the dull chill of her death numbing most of the feeling in her limbs, it fucking hurt. If she were human, it would be impossible for her to even be standing right now. But she was a Vegeta, and she could force her body to do anything, if only be sheer willpower.

Bura didn't have time to wait to make sure her voice was steady. "Trunks," she said, as evenly as she could manage. "I will not die on my ass. I am a Saiyan. I am a fighter. I will die in battle. Even if that battle is with my own idiot brother. I…" her voice broke. How could she be asking for this? But it was too late. She had to follow through. "Please," she said, almost gasping for breath. Two minutes, maybe. She could feel the seconds ticking by. "Please. I need this. I…" she stopped talking. She didn't have the capacity for it.

He could feel it, on the edge of his senses. The flurry of activity at Capsule Corps. They had finally realized something was wrong. Were no doubt looking for them. He assessed his sister, barely able to stand. Honestly, he was surprised she was standing. If he were honest with himself, and Dende did he hate being honest with himself, she wouldn't last long enough for them to do anything.

Trunks understood. In that moment, he understood. He knew why his father had done what he did. He knew why his sister had let him. Her favor to him had cost her in many ways, but she did it because he was family and it was what he needed. And he understood. Now it was his turn to do the same for her. After growing up as the weak one that was ignored in all the fights; after being overlooked when it came to anything dangerous / fun because of her desire to be a normal human teenager; after being forced to work twice as hard at her training than he ever had just to catch up to him, Goten and Pan, knowing the whole time she'd never really be able to do it; after all that… she needed to die in battle. He hated that he understood, but he did. This was his job, his duty.

There were no more words between them. He stood up as best he could, keeping all his weight on his right side. He wasn't sure how this would work. He had enough in him to do a little in a fight, but she was… done. Drained. Gone already. It wasn't a fight unless she…

She lowered her chin slightly, looked at him intently. He nodded. He was ready.

He didn't know how she did it. Didn't know where the energy came from. It wasn't nearly enough to go Super, but it was enough to cause a slight glow, to charge the air around her. She looked… hell, she looked like their dad. Determined. Stubborn. To a fault.

She charged, faster than she should have been able to. Two or three blows, all that was left of her energy behind them. He dodged them far too easily. He backed up slightly, instinctively trying to distance himself from the next attack. She charged again. He didn't have it in him to punch her, to make her bleed more than she already was. Fuck, did she even have any blood left in her? So he gathered all the energy he could - far more than he needed - and aimed right for her heart.

He wasn't sure if she had felt the blast, if he had added in any way to her agony. He hoped not, but had the sinking suspicion he had. But it was quick. She stopped immediately, the fury leaving her eyes. She stood there, frozen, eyes dazed. Did she even understand what had happened? Then she fell backward and hit the ground. Hard.

He felt himself falling back too, collapsing after releasing the last of his reserves. If help weren't on the way, he was worried he might have killed himself in the process of killing her. Her ki was gone. His sister was gone. He let his mind sink into blackness before the gravity of the situation weighed in on him. There'd be time - too much time - to focus on that later. Right now he needed the bliss of unconsciousness.

The whole encounter had lasted all of five seconds. Ten seconds if you counted the time it took for them both to fall.

Then it was over.

AN: Thank you for bearing with me to the end. Constructive criticism appreciated.

There's the possibility of either a prequel to this (dealing with the gang's loss of Vegeta) or a sequel (dealing with Goten and more specifically Trunk's attempts to cope after this).