Chapter 1: Time Has Passed
A loud smack resonated through the air as a ruler made contact with a desk, startling the sleeping student awake. The young man jumped up, yelping in surprise as his blurry vision began to focus and his tired mind caught up to the world around him. His ears rang as they picked up the sound of laughter all around him, causing him to search his surroundings and come to the conclusion that it was him that everyone was laughing at. A blush of embarrassment colored his cheeks, though that was quick to disappear as he met the gaze of his teacher who was still standing in front of his desk, arms crossed grudgingly.
"Well, how good of you to join us again, Mr. Son," the white haired teacher said, his grey eyes piercing into Goten who couldn't help squirming. "That is, unless you need more time away from class? Perhaps you would prefer the company of the principal?"
"No, Kakashi Sensei," Goten replied sheepishly, laughter still radiating around him. The young man couldn't help rubbing the back of his head, a trait that seemed to run in his family as a show of embarrassment.
A loud snort came from the seat next to his, drawing the teacher's attention as a second student rolled his eyes before continuing to stare out the window in boredom.
"Problem, Mr. Briefs?" the teacher asked in disapproval.
His purple hair swayed as he turned to face his teacher, a look of boredom etched across his features. "I thought the idea was to keep him awake, not send him somewhere even more boring and put him back to sleep," he said, his voice having taken a deeper tone in the last few years as puberty began to set in.
"Perhaps you'd like to join him in the principal's office and find out for yourself just how boring it really is."
Trunks' eyes narrowed, frowning at the man's threat and tone. If there was one thing that Trunks could say without a doubt that he hated about school, it was the lack of freedom and the teachers that seemed bent on taking away said freedom. Ever since he and Goten ended up in this class, Kakashi Sensei seemed to love to get on their cases about everything, and this did not sit well with the young saiyan prince.
Of course, Trunks' attitude was natural, given his heritage and the fact that he was a proud prince, much like his father. Goten's nature was no better, given that he took so much after his father and often times found himself easily bored which then led to slacking off when faced with something that couldn't hold his attention. He had been that way since they were kids, and Trunks was surprised that he hadn't changed much, even if he was now 13 and his best friend was 12.
Preparing a rebuttal that would not only for sure get him into huge trouble, but would probably go down in school history, Trunks was caught off guard as he felt a swift kick come to the back of his chair. Looking slightly over his shoulder in annoyance, Trunks was met the same bored expression on the girls face that she often wore while at school as she doodled aimlessly in her notebook.
Her uniform was the standard one for the school, consisting of a white button up, navy blue skirt knee length skirt and matching blue and white tie. However, unlike most girls, she wore hers much more lazily and unkempt, leaving the top few buttons undone, the skirt a bit shorter than most, but not so short that it was indecent, and having her tie loosely hanging around her neck. Her long black hair was held in a high ponytail on top of her head, tied with a bright blue ribbon that matched her eyes.
The bored expression she wore conveyed that, unlike all the other girls in the school, she didn't find his bad boy, superiority act all that impressive anymore. Taking her eyes off her work for a moment, she gave Trunks a look that, though bored, spoke of her usual disapproval and warning. Trunks grunted at her, focusing back on their teacher.
"No, sensei," he replied begrudgingly.
"I thought not. Anymore interruptions from either of you will result in a visit to the principal's office," he stated with a cross of his arms before turning and making his way back to the board.
Trunks waited until he was sure the teacher was out of earshot before muttering out, "Really, Mai? What the hell?"
"Don't give me that," she bit back at him, narrowing her eyes as she looked up at him from her drawing. "Mom told me to keep you two knuckleheaded idiots out of trouble. It's not my fault you're so thick skulled."
It was true that Bulma had asked her to keep an eye on the boys. The two of them had always been troublemakers, leading to many unfortunate events. Mai had readily agreed, even though she wasn't too keen on having to repeat school again. But it was better than getting thrown out and being homeless. Plus, living at Capsule Corp had some really great advantages, and, though she would never say it in front of these two, Mai would gladly go the extra mile to keep an eye on her boyfriend and his best friend.
After the very long and exhausting day that they had, Bulma had concluded her birthday party by inviting any and every guest to stay the night; especially the ones who were too drunk to drive or fly home.
Much to Mai's surprise, she had taken an actual liking to Trunks, but knew that she had to leave along with her nimrod friends. Saying her goodbyes, Mai couldn't help the small bit of sadness that had crept into her, knowing she would never see him again. To her surprise, as she prepared to leave, Bulma pulled her to the side to speak with her.
"I must say, Mai, I'm surprised you three showed up here, though I'm sure it had something to do with the dragonballs," Bulma said, giving a light chuckle.
Mai was stunned at hearing the woman say her name, especially with how causally she said it. She knew for a fact she hadn't told anyone her real name, especially not Bulma.
'Pilaf or Shu probably slipped up and said it, those idiots," Mai thought bitterly as she tried to think of a way to cover up this up.
"I'm sorry, but my name isn't Mai," she said as sweetly as she could muster. "It's-"
"Cut the crap," Bulma said now in a more serious tone that startled Mai, all traces of her former joking nature gone. Bulma's shining blue eyes bore into Mai's own equally blue, holding her focus intensely. "I'm not an idiot, you know. And frankly, I'm rather insulted that you would even consider taking me for such a fool."
Mai swallowed the lump in her throat while Bulma continued to tower over her.
"Ho-how did you know it was us?" she stammered out.
"I'm the head of Capsule Corp, as well as a world renowned scientist with a photographic memory. I may have only been a teenager back then, but it's still clear as day to me who you guys are and what you did. Not to mention, it's not often you meet a small blue elf who happens to be running around with a talking dog and a little girl with a gun. I assume that your current appearance is a result of said dragonballs?"
Looking to the ground, Mai could only nod her head in conformation as she contemplated all the horrible things that Bulma could and would do to her.
"As I suspected. I'm also guessing that you all came here looking for them again?"
"Y-ye-yes," Mai stammered, her nervousness taking full control of her motor skills. Mai could feel her body shaking, but made no effort to try and stop it as Bulma contemplated all of this.
"I can't say that I'm surprised," she admitted. "Though I will admit that it was a surprise to see you with my son, claiming to be his girlfriend. I'm sure that was more of an act on his part to impress Goten then it was on your part. After all, who could pass up free food at a party?"
"Um-well, I-you see-" Mai stammered in embarrassment as her cheeks began to flush furiously. Bulma couldn't help chuckling at the young girl before her.
"Well, I'm surprised; it looks like you've actually taken a real liking to him just as much as he has you. I guess I have no choice then."
Mai swallowed hard. This was it! This was the end of the road for her.
"I've got a proposition for you, Mai," Bulma said, knelling to the girl's level.
Mai blinked, her nerves becoming more stable as she stared at the blue haired woman.
"Pro-proposition?"
"Yes. You see, Trunks and Goten, are special. More special than any other pre-teen boys in the world. And it's because of this, that, well, they don't have any other friends besides each other. Though that's necessarily a bad thing, the two of them have been known to get into a lot of trouble.
"So here's my offer: you stick around, watch out for the two of them, and, in exchange, I'll allow you to live here, free of any and all crimes you've done in the past."
"Wait, what? Ar-are you being serious?" Mai asked in surprise.
"I am. I want my son to be happy, and having you and his best friend around makes him happy. So that's my offer. You can stay here and live under my rules or you can leave and continue living your life as a homeless refugee."
Mai didn't know what to say. Never had she expected to be offered to live at the home of the richest person in the entire world; hell, even Pilaf didn't have this much to offer her when she had joined up with him all those years ago. Though she was still a bit nervous and unsure of what was to be her fate, she readily agreed, the thought of an actual bed and home being beyond appealing to her.
The next year would be one that Mai would never forget. She fell instantly into her role as friend and crush of Trunks, actually finding the young hybrid very sweet. Goten, much like his father, was a bit slow at moments, but his charm and innocence were adorable to her, and Mai couldn't help but feel protective over him as well.
Bulma had, much to both of their surprise, taken a huge liking to Mai, treating her as a daughter, something Mai appreciated more then she could ever explain to her. The two had a lot more in common than they would have ever expected, something she could never say about her own mother. Having grown up in poverty, Mai recalled the struggles she had to endure, especially with her own mother who wasn't the most caring person, to say the least.
Her mother often blamed her for things that were beyond her control, like the fact that her father had abandoned them, and the fact that they were poor. Mai tended to ignore her mother's criticism, only worrying about herself and how she would get by. So to have built such a connection with Bulma, though hard at first, made her feel as if the world were changing all around her.
Vegeta...well, that had been more of a challenge. Mai had observed him from a far the few times he had been around, and he was a very stoic man. Stoic, and angry. Mai had easily lost count the number of times she had felt their house shaking or heard his screams of rage while he was training. Trunks had warned her early on that it was best that she didn't try to get to know him, and Mai had heeded that warning after Vegeta had gave her angry scowl and dismissal as he walked past the two kids.
Though Vegeta didn't mind the girl or having to deal with another child, he couldn't careless, so long as she didn't get in the way of his training. His son was satisfied and happy, so that meant that the girl was alright in his book.
"Yeah, well Kakashi is really pushing his luck this time," Trunks mumbled under his breath as he turned back to face the board. Mai rolled her eyes at him while Goten could only shake his head.
"Do I need to remind you of what'll happen if we get kicked out of this school?" Goten whispered to him. "My mom would absolutely flip!"
"Would you relax? My family basically pays for this place to stay in business. We could literally level half the school and they couldn't do a thing about it."
"Easy for you to say," Goten said, folding his arms and them behind his head. "The only reason I even got into this place is because your mom basically offered me a scholarship. If it wasn't for that, and the fact that my brother is married to the daughter of the guy who "saved the world from Cell and Majin Buu", they wouldn't even have looked at my application, let alone let me in. I'm not smart enough for a place like this; this is where Gohan should have gone."
"Goten, would you stop beating yourself up?" Mai said. "You're plenty smart, but not everyone had the means to get where they need to on their own."
"She's right," Trunks agreed, just as the bell rang. The three of them signed, thankful for the end of the period. "Finally. Let's get out of here and get some grub. I'm starving."
"Me too," Goten agreed, packing his things and backing out of his seat. Mai, shouldering her small purse, rolled her eyes at the two.
"Is there ever a time you two aren't hungry? You could out eat an entire village with those stomachs and big mouths," she said, a grin on her face. Trunks, grasping her hand and intertwining their fingers, rolled his eyes while Goten started to make his way out into the hallway in front of them.
"Ha ha, you're so hilarious," he replied sarcastically. As they turned the corner, his eyes landed on a group of kids older than them, leaning on the stairs and blocking their way to the lunchroom. Trunks groaned as they turned to him and his friends. "Oh great, the goon squad is here."
"Trunks…" Mai warned under her breath. "Just let it go-"
"Well, well, well. Look at what we got here," a blonde, skinny boy said as he and his cronies sauntered over to the three. The boy was tall, taller than both Trunks and Goten who were still growing into their heights. He was wearing the same uniform as them, but had a blue overcoat on top of it. His dark eyes gleamed with mischief as they raked over the three kids his junior, his eyes taking an extra long look over Mai's body.
Trunks could see his eyes dancing over his girlfriend, and gritted his teeth in anger, but held his composure as Mai squeezed his hand, a reminder to cool it. She had noticed his gaze as well, and though it wasn't the first time he had done it, it still bothered her, though she'd never let Trunks know it, not with his temper.
Goten, who was still in the front of the group, could only sign in despair; this was the last thing he needed needed right now.
"Hey baby, why don't you ditch the shrimp and come with me," the blonde said, a perverted grin on his face.
"Buzz off, Idasa," Trunks said, wishing he could kick the crap out of this guy like he had back in the Junior Division World Martial Arts Tournament years ago, but, unfortunately, thanks to the wish that had to be made after the ordeal with Majin Buu, no one remembered that he had actually won. Much to Trunks' disgust, after they had redone the tournament (a tournament he and Goten weren't allowed to enter because of the whole Mighty Mask incident), Idasa had won, engorging his ego tenfold. If that weren't bad enough, he also happened to go to the same school as them, meaning until the next tournament (which wasn't for at least another year or so), he would be strutting around like the jackass he really was.
"You got a problem there, Briefs?" He taunted, walking up to Trunk and getting into his face. "That's some big talk coming from a kid who can't even fight. Don't think just because you're some rich pretty boy that I won't kick your ass, money bags."
Trunks gritted his teeth even harder. This guy was seriously asking for it, and Trunks was have a hard time not giving it to him. Goten, noticing his friend's growing agitation, decided to step in.
"You know, for a guy who doesn't bathe, I'm surprised you'd even think of letting a girl near you," the young black hair saiyan said.
Idasa turned to look at him with annoyance as if he weren't anything more than a bug. Another boy, this one with dark brown hair, stepped forward, grabbing Goten by his tie.
"You got a real smart mouth there for a hick," he said, his dark eyes borrowing into Goten's.
The humor left Goten instantly as he came face to face with Ikose, Idasa's younger brother and the same boy Goten had beaten during his first match of the very same tournament. Though Ikose hadn't won, that didn't stop him from riding the success of his brother and acting as if he were just as great. Of course Goten could take this guy just as easily as he had before, but fighting in school was strictly forbidden, and his mother would have his head if she found out that he had beaten someone up.
However, Goten wasn't too keen on the idea letting this guy get away with calling him a hick.
"And you've til the count of three to let him go before I make you," Trunks threatened. Letting go of Mai's hand, Trunks stepped forward, shoving Idasa backwards toward his friends and brother while he stepped up next to Goten.
"Oh, you two think you're tough huh?" The blonde boy taunted. The other laughed behind him as Ikose shoved Goten who stumbled back a few steps, but said nothing.
"You wanna find out?"
"Trunks, no!" Mai said, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him away, though her efforts were wasted as he didn't budge. Goten had said nothing, staring the older boys down as they cracked their knuckles.
"Better listen to her, kid. Unless you wanna end up in a body cast," Idasa said. Trunks clenched his fists at his sides, thinking of how easy it would be to knock this idiot off his pedestal with a single punch, but was stopped as Goten put his hand on shoulder. Trunks turned to look at his best friend questioningly, but noticed why instantly. Down the hall, he could distinctly make out Kakashi Sensei as he made his way toward them, though the older boys didn't seem to notice. Trunks let his features relax, much to the relief of Mai, as Kakashi rounded the corner. The teachers eyes were on his students, who were calm and reserved, before switching to the stunned faces of the older boys.
"Is there a problem, students?" Kakashi asked.
"N-no, sensei!" Idasa said quickly, a nervousness to his reply. The others readily agreed while the three youngsters remained silent. Kakashi's gave shifted to them.
"Trunks, Goten, Mai; aren't you supposed to be at lunch?"
"We were just on our way there, sensei," Goten said cheerfully. Trunks nodded his head in agreement as Mai grabbed his hand again. Pushing past the small group, the three marched down the stair, ignoring the glowers they received while Kakashi watched them go.
As they made it to the main floor, Goten let out a breath of relief, his shoulders slumping.
"I swear, those guys just don't know when to give up," he said, hands in his pockets.
"I swear, you two idiots are gonna get us expelled if you don't cool it!" Mai shouted at them.
"It'd be worth it to know Idasa's block off," Trunks said casually, as if a moment ago he hadn't been an angry ball of saiyan power. "Especially if he keeps eyeballing you like that."
"Trust me, I'm no more a fan of it then you are, but that doesn't mean you can nearly lose your cool like that every time he does it. As much as it pains me to say this, why can't you be more like Goten?"
"Gee, thanks Mai," Goten said spitefully. Turning a corner, he proudly stated, "Trunks can't be like me. I'm way more calm and cool headed then he is because he's so obsessed with you, he lets his emotions get the better of him."
"And that's supposed to be a bad thing?" Mai laughed as Trunks resisted the urge to smack his best friend.
"You know, you'll be the same way one day when you finally grow up and get a girlfriend," Trunks jabbed. Mai elbowed him, causing him to chuckle.
"He's right though, Goten," she added. "Just wait until you find yourself interested in a girl; you won't be able to help yourself."
"Psh, whatever," Goten said dismissively. "Unlike you and my brother, I'm never gonna let some girl change how I act. Especially not one of these super rich stuck up girls." As they rounded the final corner, heading toward the lunch room, Goten stated, "I'm a free man now and foreve-"
Goten never got to finish his sentence as he soon felt a sharp pain as someone crashed into him, sending him sprawling onto the floor. Landing on his back, Goten could feel the back of his head throbbing from where it had made contact with the floor. Mai and Trunks could only look on in stunned silence as Goten rubbed his head, mumbling about the pain.
Goten could feel the weight of something on top of him. He assumed that it was a person based on the fact he could hear groaning coming from them as well. Preparing to give the person who hit him piece of his mind, Goten opened his eyes, coming face to face with a girl. A very pretty girl.
In such close proximity, Goten could make out every detail of her smooth, cream colored skin. Her eyes were a shimmering brown color that reminded him of chocolate. Her eyelashes were long, almost brushing against his as she seemed to be leaning toward him, though that could have just been his imagination as he found himself utterly enthralled by her.
Ok, maybe he had spoken a bit too soon…
Hello, and long time no see, fanfiction world. I've been away, being an adult and working a new job and all that so it's been hard to find time for it along side writing my own novel series.
Anyway, I'm writing this note to explain a bit about this story:
This story is cannon to the movie universe, and by that, I mean that its set in the same timeframe as the movies (Battle of God and Resurrection F). Originally, before they made Super, Battle of Gods takes place four years after the battle with Buu; following that, this start about a year after that, which is why Goten is 13 and Trunks is 14.
Next, the relationship between Mai and Trunks is one of my favorite parts of Super, and I wanted to expand on that in my own way.
Third, the relationship between Goten and Valese; I know she was a Dragon Ball GT character, and was pretty dimwitted, but I liked her. However, I'm changing her up a bit; she's not going to be a dumb girl like in that series, but an innocent, teenager trying to make her way in the world of aliens, super saiyans and gods.
Lastly, this will not follow Dragon Ball Super exactly; there will be parts that appear around the same as the show, but this is my own story and events that happen. I don't want to spoil anything so that's all I can say.
Also, I don't know how often I will update this story or my others but I will do my best.
That is all.
Laters,
Blak-Ice