He walked into the house, glad it was still standing. He felt like he'd been away forever. Time
traveling tended to do that to you.
"Kaa-san?" he called softly, not wanting to wake her up, as it was rather late.
Getting no response, he walked into the kitchen, only to find a violet-haired girl at the fridge,
stuffing her face as she cried. He approached her warily, wondering who she was and why she
was raiding his fridge.
"Hey, who are you and what are you doing in my house?" he asked suspiciously.
The girl whirled around, obviously startled. "Your house? I live here. And how'd you manage to
sneak up on me?"
Seeing that she had gone into a defensive crouch, Trunks did the same, drawing his sword with
the soft hiss of steel.
"Kaa-san!" she yelled. "Get out of here, now! There's a wacko in the house. She then turned back
to Trunks, and they began a staring contest of psycological warfare.
"Bra?" came a voice from the top of the stairs. "What's going on?" Then Bulma spied Trunks. "Oh
my Kami, TRUNKS!!!!"
She bounded down the stairs and wrapped him up in a bear hug. "Where have you been? You've
been gone sixteen years!"
He froze. Sixteen- years? "Th-that's impossible," he stammered. "What could have happened?
I've only been away for three..."
Bulma whipped out a calculator from some unknown pocket. "Let's see..." she muttered,
beginning to type furiously.
Someone cleared their throat. The girl. He'd forgotten about her in the excitement of his
homecoming. "Is he really Trunks?" she asked, with a note of disdain in her voice.
"Yes," Bulma replied, not looking up from her calculations.
"Kaa-san, who's she?" Trunks asked.
"Her? That's Bra-chan, your sister."
"What??!" Trunks yelled, eyes popping out. "I have a sister? But how???!"
"Baba," Bulma replied shortly, still not looking up from her calculations.
"The old witch?" Trunks asked. "Figures. What's the status of the Jinzouningen?" He addressed
Bra, since Bulma was distracted and didn't seem to want to be interrupted.
"Dead," Bra relied flatly, glaring at him.
"Whoa, who killed them? You?"
"Goten killed them," she replied just as flatly.
Trunks blinked at the tone of her voice. "Who's Goten? Can I meet him?"
"He's dead" she replied, a slight quiver in her voice, before she stalked off.
Bulma seemed to realize that all was not right between her son and daughter, and looked up from
her calculations.
"Kaa-san, who was Goten?" Trunks asked. "And what happened to him?"
"He was Goku's second son, and he killed himself destroying the Jinzouningen. We found the
dead bodies of the Jinzouningen, but there was no body. Bra loved him, Trunks. There wasn't
even a body for her to bury. She was devastated."
"...Oh," Trunks said. "You're sure he's dead?"
"If he was still alive, he would have come back here, Trunks. He must have used a suicide strike
against them."
"I guess you're right. How long ago did he die?"
"A week, Trunks. The pain is still raw for Bra. She's going to take it out on you, and hate you for
not being here a week earlier."
What a way to start a relationship, Trunks groaned inwardly.
Who am I? ...What...what happened to me? Why can't I remember anything? Where should
I go? The young mad stood unsteadily on his right leg. The other one was horribly mangled,
though it was starting to heal. I gotta keep moving. There could be something out
there...something that wants to kill me... he kept moving, just as his instincts had commanded
him to for the past week.
Bra and Trunks were engaged in another staring match across the breakfast table. Bulma had
given up trying to get them to like each other, and had settled on kepping them from killing each
other and most of the rest of the residency as well.
Trunks threw his napkin on the table in disgust. "I'm going out to see if I can help rebuild." The
house was feeling opressive with his angry sister glaring at him.
After gathering a pack of supplies, he flew slowly, looking for people who didn't look at least
somewhat capable of rebuilding for themselves. After helping an elderly couple and a lady in a
wheelchair, Trunks came across a young man limping along the road.
He flew down with the intention to help. Then his eyes widened in suprise. No one could walk
with a leg mangled up that bad!
"Who are you?" Trunks yelled at the young man.
"Boy, I wish I knew," he muttered, shaking his head as if to clear it. Trunks's ultra-sensitive ears
picked it up anyway.
He flew closer warily- and froze. They were Goku's eyes, Goku's chocolate brown eyes, set in a
younger face.
"Are you- Goten?" Trunks whispered.
"G- goten?" he whispered. "Is that my name?"
Trunks looked around. He knew where he was; it was a full days' drive from Capsule Corp. He'd
never be able to make it back with a half-dead boy who might be a Saiyan.
"Look, I know where there's a cave close by," Trunks said warily. "I think I might be able to help
you."
"Really? Thank you," he said gratefully. "How do you know me?" he asked as Trunks helped him
over to the cave.
"I don't, really, but my sister does. Bra."
There was a flicker of recognition behind the chocolate eyes, then it was gone. The young man
leaned forward, curious. "I thought- I thought I remembered something for a moment. Damn. It's
like trying to climb up a glass wall with my memories on the other side."
Trunks laughed. "So why don't you fly?"
Suddenly he remembered a song he'd heard, when he was a kid.
Love will fly us to the moon and back
If you'll be my baby
Got a ticket for a world where we belong
So will you be my baby?*
"Fly with love..." he murmurred.
As he built a fire, he began telling Goten all about Bra.
"Well, she has lavender hair, though if she takes after our mom, it changes color to blue-green
sometimes.
"She's also very temperamental. She's half Saiyan. Our dad was named Vegeta. He was an alien
from outer space, and it's where both Bra and I get our tempers and our fighting abilities. We
were also born with tails."
The light of recognition in Goten's eyes was growing brighter, and Trunks continued, encouraged.
"Bra is sixteen, and she usually wears a bright red outfit of...well, I'm not sure what it's made of,
but it's almost like plastic. It's a short skirt, with a top that exposes her midriff, long gloves, and
thigh-high boots. She also wears a gold choker and gold hoop earrings."
"I- remember..." Goten gasped, holding his head. "Everything...you're...Trunks?"
Trunks nodded.
"You're back..."
Tears started running down his face. "I can't believe I forgot Bra-chan." Trunks handed him some
of the food he'd cooked.
"Hey, if I know a Saiya-jin, you're hungry by now..."
Goten set into the food with a vengeance, and then fell asleep after the strain of the day.
"Big lunkhead," Trunks said with a smile, as he settled down in his own sleeping bag. Strange, but
he felt like he already had a bond with this young man. Yes, they were going to be very good
friends.
They got into Capsule Corp. at noon the next day, after Trunks realized he could put Goten on
kinto-un. (AN: Did I get that remotely right? I was referring to the flying cloud thingy.)
Leaving the injured Goten outside, Trunks burst into the house, yelling for Bra.
"What is it?" she asked crossly from the kitchen where she and Bulma were doing the dishes.
"There's someone out there to see you," he replied.
She threw the dishtowel down grouchily and stalked in the direction of the door.
"Well, I'm glad to see you, Trunks," Bulma offered.
"Sure, but we might wanna go watch this."
"Watch what?" Bulma asked, following the unresponsive Trunks towards the door.
Bra froze. It couldn't be!
"Bra-" he began.
"You IDIOT!" she screamed, launching herself at him, beating her fists against his chest. "Where
have you BEEN? How could you run off like that to fight the cyborgs all by yourself???"
He caught her fists easily.
"Let me GO!!!" she shrieked.
"OK, Bra, hit me with your best shot," he said with a smirk, releasing her fists.
She glared at him, trying to stare him down. Goten just looked at her with soulful eyes.
"Go-chan!" she suddenly screamed, launching herself at him and kissing him on the lips.
"Shhh, Torako**" he murmurred against her mouth. "I'm here now. I'll always be here, now and
forever. For all time."
*By Savage Garden. Yeah, I know that's not exactly the way it goes, but it's what they sound like
they're saying, and I wanted it to be that way.
**Little tiger.
So, did you like it? Give me all feedback at miathewarrior@hotmail.com