A/n: So, I don't really know where this idea came from. Honestly. But I'm excited to see what it will transpire. In the next chapter I will go through a few house-keeping things. So ages, and what is actually happening is more understandable. For now, please enjoy! (Also pairs...I have no idea).

On The Other Side of Paradise

She met this boy years ago, years before any of the others. He was from the other side, that is, another world. At the time neither of them new it...but their time together would impact what was going to happen later on. Change the course of history even for some of them, and impact the future in a way no one could have prepared for.

00

The Invitation

Bulma leaned back in her chair, looking over the invitation that rested in her hand. She sighed just a little bit, running a hand through her hair. This was hardly the first time that she had received one of these invites…but this was the first time guests were written on the card. Often, she had not attended these events when she had been invited at a younger age. Yet now, things were a little different. Things had changed a lot since she was a teenager, and this man had as well. Yet, she wasn't sure if she should break one of the only promises she ever made to herself, and still had today.

"Mom, what's that?" She looked down gently, seeing Trunks and Goten looking up at her. The two demi's were always around one another if they could help it. She smiled just a little bit at them.

"An invitation…" She set it down so she could turn her attention to the barrage of questions she knew were about to come from the two boys.

"Really? To what?" Trunks blinked, as if receiving an invitation for anything was absurd. She chuckled just a little.

"A well, a ball, which normally has a lot of fancily dressed people and those who are in the upper-classes." Trunks nodded, but Goten frowned a little bit.

"That doesn't sound very fun." He states and Bulma gives a sweet smile.

"Sometimes they are, and sometimes they aren't…" She glanced back at the invitation. "But getting invited to one is normally very important. At times it can be rude not to show up…"

"Does that mean we're going?" Trunks' eyes got wide and she paused for a moment, not sure how to answer.

"I…I haven't decided yet. It's risky to go there, I believe. The city may be safer where we will be but it's still dangerous…and neither of your Fathers need to go running off and getting themselves into trouble there…" She rolled her eyes.

"Has dad never been there?" Trunks climbed up into the chairs, Goten following right behind.

"No, he hasn't. Neither has Goku…" She tapped her fingers on the table gently. "When I was younger, I had hoped to keep this kind of place out of Goku's hands. And now Vegeta's as well…" She stopped for a moment, sighing. "I suppose I couldn't keep them away from there forever though, it would be impossible to think that. Some day they would find out, and go there…"

"Is there a reason Dad doesn't know?" Trunks looks confused, and Bulma honestly can't blame him. "Or Goku?"

"Well, yes…" Bulma smiled a little wearily. "Do you boys want to know a little secret?" The two leaned in then, their eyes getting wide. "I thought as much…you see…back when I was a little girl I made this wonderful discovery. I had climbed under some bushes in order to see what was on the other side. I was always told that I shouldn't go over there, as they weren't quite sure what it was just yet. But there was a strong presence of something coming from the other side… All I found that it lead to was a small underground cave like area…" She was quite for a moment. "And there, on the other side…I met a boy…he was about my age, maybe a little older… We talked for hours that first time we met, and we saw each other often after that. He was always dressed in suits and other high-up clothes while I just kind of wore whatever I felt like…and we interacted like that. This continued for a long time, I can't remember how much exactly, honestly…

"But it lasted until one day he asked me to come with him. I wasn't sure what he meant, but I followed anyways. I was curious to know what he could show me. We climbed out from this…little cave we had found and we came into a giant courtyard…maybe it was smaller but I was young at the time, and it was big to me… He said it was his home, and he seemed so proud of it… However, we didn't stay there. We snuck out of the grounds and went into the city, which he called Gotham. For a time, we explored, before we needed to return. He told me to come see him again and he would show me around the grounds next time. Again, there was a period of this that we just explored together. I would wait for him and he would always come…

"One day it all changed…" She was silent for a moment. "…I waited for hours and he never came… So I climbed out, and I looked for him…I looked everywhere… And when I found him, he as crying. He was hiding from, I don't know what, but he was crying… His parents had died…and he told me…that he wasn't sure if he would see me again. It was a hard time…" She took a deep breath. "For a time after that, I didn't go back to that spot. In fact, I all but avoided it. I wasn't sure how to deal with it…"

"But why is this important? If you avoided him after, then why did you tell us this?" Goten raised his hand a little and Bulma smiled just a little bit.

"Because, it led to what happened later on. I went back right around the time I met Goku, and I slipped into the cave to see…if anything changed. When I went there, letters were…everywhere. There were so many that it took me three trips to get all of them inside… They were all from him, every single one of them…" She was quite for a moment. "He had been writing them for years…for longer than I could even imagine… I had thought he would never talk to me, or see me, or anything, but all of his letters were genuine. He meant everything he said in them…" She closed her eyes just a little bit. "It took some time, but I eventually got to see him again. We were both older, and stupid…

"But you know, that didn't really stop us, or anything…anyways, in the long run we became friends again. We talked when we got the chance, and after some time I finally got to understanding what was going on. After all, how did a little cave lead to two such different places? And a city that I had never even heard of? It was like a portal to another world, and that wasn't far from the truth… I told him about how I finally understood everything…and we made an agreement. We were going to make sure that the wrong hands didn't know about this. Eventually we expanded it into something easier to access as adults, you know, because we were getting bigger….and this boys, is why I can't tell them. This other world…this world he comes from is different from ours. Your Fathers would cause…mayhem there I fear to say. But it is likely that it would not end well…"

"Okay but…what about the invitation then?" Trunks frowned. Bulma let out a deep breath.

"It's from that boy, the one I was talking to you about…and he wants…anyone to come that I want to invite…it's been years since we've managed to see one another. We both became busy…so…it's been hard to see one another. Actually more like impossible…" She smiled a little, leaning forward on the table.

"Then you should go, right?" Trunks looked at her. "I mean if you haven't seen him…or anything, you should go…" Bulma smiled just a little, sometimes letting her son know these things was helpful.

"I suppose I should…" She murmured. "…but the matter of inviting your Father, Goku, or frankly anyone else is still something I need to think about…" She shook her head.

Goten raised his hand again. "Is it really that bad if they go there?"

"I can't imagine what they would get into if they did." She said honestly, moving to stand up. "And like I said, their world there is very different from ours… Well in some ways that is…anyways, what did you two boys come in here for in the first place?"

Both exchanged a look, thinking for a moment. "Lunch!" Both then grinned, and she chuckled at them both.

"Alright, alright, I'll start making lunch…" She left the invitation on the table as she went to find out what she could make for the two hungry demi's.

x-x-x-x

"I don't see why I have to wear this." Bulma huffed at the Prince, whom she was trying to get into a suit. She had somehow managed to get Goku into one, but the prince was being a little moodier about it. "Can I not just wear my armor?" He grunted, and she shook her head.

"No, you can't. This isn't like the parties you have been to with me…this one you have to actually look nice for. Got it? So please put on the suit and stop arguing…" She shook her head, sighing. Maybe, just maybe, she should have re-thought this.

"Think about it though, Vegeta. We're spending a week there and we only have to wear these for a day." Goku speaks up from where he's watching. Vegeta rolled his eyes at the young sayian, huffing.

"I still do not see why this is necessary." He replied, "I look odd in it."

"No, you look just fine, now stop complaining." Bulma looked at him. "Just finish getting ready. We have an hour until we need to leave…alright?" The two sayian males nodded. "Good, I'm going to go make sure the boys haven't managed to destroy their suits yet."

"Alright…" Goku watched her leave before looking at Vegeta. "I heard Bulma saying they have some fighters there, maybe we can find someone to spar with." He grinned. The elder sayian hummed at the prospect of this, perhaps then I would be worth it. That is, if they could even find a worthy opponent.

"Fine, I guess I will tolerate it. But I'm not going to enjoy this…and you owe me a spar later Kakarrot."

"Sure, yeah. I can do that." Goku smiled, not thinking much of the request. After all, it was just something they did often. "Come on, let's go meet up with Bulma. She probably wants to know we're ready."

"Fine…" The elder sayian adjust the coat on him, huffing. This fabric wasn't fit for him, and if anything, he was more annoyed by it than anything else. But, for now he would accept it…probably would rip it to shreds later anyways.

x-x-x-x

Bulma took a look at everyone she had gathered around, taking a deep breath. "Okay…" She murmured, looking at everyone gently. "Now, remember…my only rule is to behave…" She walked through those doors she never thought she would enter again. No one said a thing as they came through, but Goku gave a small shiver. That had felt…weird, and that was an understatement. They were outside a large mansion, where someone was waiting. He smiled, his bright blue eyes lighting up upon seeing them all.