Disclaimers: I don't own DBZ, I am just borrowing characters created by Toriyama-san, and owned by folks with more money and lawyers than me.

THE TIMELINE ORPHANS

Volume 1: A Second Chance

By Kinomi

From Mirai Trunks' Journal:

I've decided to go back. The decision has weighed long on my heart, after all it isn't my time, or my past. Yet I feel drawn to it, to the inhabitants there…those that have never known the horrors of my world. I should stay away and not interfere, but it's a chance to see her again – my mother. Even if she isn't really mine. It still seems impossible to me as I look around that she is gone forever, that she won't stick her head out from under some piece of equipment here in her lab and complain that I worry about her too much, or that I should go out and find myself a girlfriend – even though she knows I won't.

I'm all alone in this world now. The passing of my mother Bulma Briefs at age sixty-eight severed the final link I had to this ravaged world. The death of my wife Mina, and our newborn daughter five years ago was the first. I am the last of the Saiyajin royal line, the last of the Briefs, the last of those who have to fight.

It's been ten years since I destroyed Cell, and thirteen years since I ended the Jinzouningen's reign of terror over our planet. Thirteen years of peace. No longer does this world need me as its protector, its defender. So much has happened to me in that time. We have rebuilt, the scars of the Jinzouningen's rampages are nearly invisible…unless you know where to look...which I do.

I feel I've changed so much, will Bulma-Kaasan even recognize me? I don't look so different than when I left, my hair is a little longer, the scowl I inherited from my father carved a little deeper into my face. The big changes in me are on the inside. There has been peace in this world, but there has been great sorrow as well. I wonder what she will say when I tell her I was almost a father…that I was a father for the fifteen minutes my daughter lived before she joined her mother in the afterlife.

I'll know the answer soon enough when I sail the river of time to see my friends again. As soon as it's charged up I will go. I'm leaving this journal here – in Capsule Corp. for anyone to find. I went to all my favorite places today, visited my wife's grave, and sat on the repaired golden dome that has been my home all my life as if I am never coming back.

And if you are reading this, then I never have. I have become the Timeline Orphan again – never content to stay in my own world where I belong.

Trunks Vegeta Briefs

June 16, 801


June 16, 798

The sun shone down brightly on the intact golden dome of Capsule Corporation, causing it to sparkle in the afternoon sunlight. A gentle breeze blew softly through the trees, making the flowers dip and sway in their beds. The window framed a picture perfect summer day, but the occupant of the lab had no time to enjoy its beauty as her fingers flew over the keyboard writing the computer code that would aide in the fine tuning of her invention, which lay in pieces around her along with a boom box turned up extra loud.

She pushed the wire framed glasses she wore when she used the computer back up her nose and stretched in her chair, finally noticing the splendor of the summer day outside. She rested her chin in her hand a moment; marveling at the blueness of the sky and the calm serenity of her own personal square of beauty, made all the more so precious by the bustle of activity she knew went on just out of sight of the Lab's window. Wedding preparations.

Marron sighed and turned back to her code, tapping her foot in time to the music. She had worked as Bulma Briefs' Lab Assistant for the last six years; four of them full time since she had gotten her PhD. She had lived at Capsule Corporation with the Briefs family for the last two, ever since her father had died…and Juuhachi-gou had gone off, without a word to anyone including her grown daughter. Her grief had been as great as Marron's at Kuririn's natural death, but with no way to express it Juuhachi-gou had…changed. Marron often wondered if she would ever see her Jinzouningen mother again, or if Juuhachi-gou had finally found a way to join Kuririn in the afterlife.

Marron shook her head briefly to clear her thoughts away from musing about her parents and tried to focus on what she was doing. She had finally gotten the chance to slip away from Bulma to do the kind of work Marron felt qualified to do, which did not include helping Bulma plan her son's wedding. Especially since she was not the bride.

As her thoughts turned to Trunks, Marron gave up writing code and put her hands behind her head as she looked out the window. There was no use trying to work now, she would just make mistakes. Four more days and he'll be married, Marron thought.

She and Trunks had been in love once upon what felt like a lifetime ago. They had dated while she was in high school and college, but Marron, for all her icy blonde beauty and clever brain, ultimately hadn't stood a chance against the determination and charm of the vivacious Son Pan.

But then Marron had always been the outsider, the only human in a group of demi-Saiyajin that included Trunks, his sister Bra, Pan, and Trunks' best friend Goten. Trunks and Pan would marry this weekend on Capsule Corporation's grounds, and a month or so after that, Son Goten would marry Bra Briefs in a similar ceremony held on these grounds…and Marron was expected to be a bridesmaid at both. She would soon be the only one left – the only single girl.

Always the bridesmaid…never the bride…Oh well…Bulma-san was single into her thirties so what am I worried about? Marron thought to herself, trying to boost her ego with the mantra Bulma always said to her to cheer her up. It takes a special kind of man to handle beautiful geniuses. Marron smirked, as much as she appreciated Bulma's vote of confidence there just weren't that many Saiyajin Princes floating around for every beautiful genius to have one. She turned off the music by stretching out one long slender leg and hitting the off switch with her bare toe.

"Face it Marron old kid…you are going to die a SINGLE beautiful genius," she muttered to herself and turned back to her work with a rueful grin. As if summoned by her thoughts a certain Saiyajin Prince's face flickered to life on the video panel behind Marron.

"Bulma! There is something not functioning in the gravity room…I demand you come and fix it at once!" Marron didn't even turn around from her terminal.

"She's not here, Vegeta…She went with Trunks and Pan to meet the florist or caterer or some damn thing." Vegeta's holographic face scowled thunderously as it looked down on the lab.

"I want to train! YOU come and fix it then Jinzouning-jo, make yourself useful!" Vegeta barked and Marron bared her teeth at being called for all intents and purposes an 'android daughter'. She spun around in her chair to face the three-meter high image of Vegeta's face - unpleasant enough life sized at times - and stabbed her finger in his direction.

"Don't order me around! I don't work for you! Bulma said NO Gravity Room for you until AFTER the wedding – since I DO work for Bulma that means no Gravity Room for you until at least Monday. Got it?" Marron snapped and turned the music back on which drowned out the Saiyajin Prince's furious response as the his face contorted. Marron wagged her fingers at him and switched the vid screen off.

"Jerk," she said under her breath and feeling rather pleased with herself for standing up to Vegeta's demands like Bulma wanted, she did a little happy chair dance to the music before spinning around. She leapt out of the chair in surprise, sending it clattering over when she saw the figure of a man step out from the shadows by the door. Marron put her hand to her breast to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest.

"I'm sorry I startled you," he said, his voice amused. Marron's eyes widened as he stepped fully into the light of the lab. She was confused for about two seconds thinking that Trunks was playing a trick on her until she realized this wasn't Trunks…at least not of this time. Unless Trunks had found a way to grow his hair past his shoulders and bulk up considerably in the two hours he'd had been gone to meet the caterers.

He looked older than the Trunks of this time as well, his expression hard even when relaxed, as he seemed to be now. The furrows between his eyebrows stayed even as he offered her a small smile.

"I know this may sound strange but I'm…" He started to say, but was interrupted by a harsh voice behind him.

"You! What are you doing here?" Vegeta demanded from the doorway. The lavender haired man in front of Marron turned away from her to the door.

"Hello Father…it's been a long time," Mirai Trunks said.