To Live a Normal Life

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BRIIIIIIING!

The students ran eagerly out of the classroom to lunch period, despite the call of the teacher that they weren't dismissed until she said so. Her rant was lost in the ruckus, so she sighed and leaned on her pedestal, gazing at the havoc of upturned chairs in each row from the stampede of students rushing to their free lunch period. She was surprised to find the new students Vegeta and Gohan still sitting in their seats, book bags packed and on the table, hands grasping the straps as they stared at her expectantly.  "What do you need, boys?" They looked at each other, befuddled at her inquiry, before Gohan asked hesitantly, hand behind head, a slight innocent smile on his face,

"Er, ma'am? Are we dismissed yet?"

"Oh!" The English teacher flushed quite suddenly, looking quite abashed -and pleased- that students had actually listened to her for once, or heard her over the previous ruckus. She regained composure quickly, but her back straightened and her posture gained a look of confidence and authority as the curly blonde teacher gave the students a smile and a sharp nod. "Yes, boys, you are dismissed." The young men seemed to fly down the first half of the steps before halting abruptly, and walking leisurely out of the classroom after waving goodbye to their teacher.

As soon as they were outside the classroom, and Gohan looked both ways to ensure the absence of any stray students, the black haired boy grabbed "Vegeta"'s arm and sprinted faster than the eye could see down the corridor and out the door to a spot he'd noticed the day before as deserted. Stopping as abruptly as he started, Gohan turned and flashed a huge surprised grin at the other demi-saiyajin. "Trunks! Mirai Trunks! What on Earth are you doing here? It's been about seven years," the black haired demi-saiyajin paused and squinted thoughtfully, "Although you really don't look that much older…" The corners of the blue eyed demi-saiyajin's mouth turned up a little, and he squinted a bit, giving Gohan an apprising look, noting how the boy who'd saved the world had changed in seven years.

"I really can't say the same for you, Gohan. You're not chibi any more! It's nice to see you- and everyone else- all grown and happy, although I'm only a year older myself." He crossed his arms in a funny cross between his father's scowling stance and his mother's self-satisfied smile that he had been seeing a lot more of since the androids in the future were defeated, and Gohan noted how familial resemblance always did run strong in Bulma's family.

"How?" Another confident smile graced Mirai's lips,

"I DO have a time machine, you know. Mom gave me vacation leave to come over and visit while I'm still 'young, mobile, and recognizable.' She's also concerned that some of the quantum mechanics in the machine will wear out before we get good usage from them. So, here I am, visiting you all while I've got the chance. It's pretty awesome seeing myself as a little kid again- but happy this time," a real Trunks smile, like Chibi Trunks', but a little older, shone through his face, "Having a little bro is pretty cool, so long as I'm not the victim of his pranks."

"I would ask what it's like having two Trunks in the house, but…why in Kami's name are you going by 'Vegeta?'" Mirai Trunks laughed shortly.

"Believe it or not, it's to keep questions like 'Why are there two Trunks in the house?' down. If the public found out about me- which I'm sure sooner or later they will, since I signed up as Breifs Vegeta here at school,- they'd get kinda confused as to why my parents had two purple haired sons and named BOTH Trunks. Seems a little much to me," Gohan nodded in agreement, "and rather than just go around calling me 'Future' all the time, Dad insisted that since I'm the oldest son, I carry on the Vegetasei tradition," here the purple haired demi gave a laughing grin, but Gohan could tell he was pleased with the attention he had gotten from the father he'd previously never known. "Crown Prince gets the name, you know."

Gohan rolled his eyes and gave an honest smile- it was nice having someone his age (sort of) with the same type of messed up family- and superpowers- he had. He opened his mouth to comment jokingly on how "Vegeta" was picking up a little on his father's royal arrogance, but was interrupted by the chorus of two stomachs craving nourishment. "We could catch up all day… but how about we get some food, first?"

"Sounds good to me. Where do we sit?"

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Entering the designated lunch eating area for students, Gohan gave a nervous gulp at the scene before him. The area was crowded with students -he couldn't move much further in without bumping into at least three of them at once- and the only two chairs open were at the table on the very edge of the area. There wasn't even room on the ground or at one of the corners, unless the student wanted to be run over by a mass of socializing teenagers. The position of the table wasn't what was concerning Gohan, however. To the contrary, it was who was occupying the table that worried him most; Videl, scowling into her sandwich; Sharpner, making "manly" comments on muscles, beating people up, and how wouldn't Videl like to go on a date with him?; and Erasa, giggling endlessly over the former's antics and chirping over fashion matters to them both.

"Hey, Gohan," 'Vegeta' started, "there's a spot!" Gohan's eyes widened a little in horror.

"Er- Tru-, I mean, 'Vegeta,' do we have to? You REALLY don't want to sit by those people." 'Vegeta' gave him a puzzled look,

"What, are they going to be throwing ki blasts at us? They can't be so bad," and immediately walked –pushed through the crowd, really- towards the table, giving Gohan no choice but to shuffle after them.

"Vegeta," he whined a little as the lavender haired demi-saiyajin shuffled ahead.

"What?" 'Vegeta' rolled his eyes, "You can't really be afraid of those people. I think it's exciting! I've never been around people my own age before." Gohan shuffled a little closer.

"They're strange," -here Gohan was given an "And we aren't?" look by his comrade- "They ask too many questions! It's dangerous!"

"Gohan, I'm not going to be giving anything away about myself."

"You'd be surprised," Gohan gave a little shudder, "AND, the black haired girl is Satan Videl." This actually paused the future demi-saiyajin in his tracks a moment, before plunging on ahead.

"All the more reason to go. You can't be afraid of that weakling's daughter!" 'Vegeta' barely caught the annoyed "that's what I thought yesterday" mumbled out of Gohan's lips before they arrived at the table. "Mind if we sit here?"

The three people at the table looked up at the two newcomers. Videl gave a hard stare to each, shrugged, and went back to eating her sandwich. Erasa squealed and gave a huge smile and a wink, "Sure! Nobody'd mind having you two cuties around," giggling a little after. The other blonde at the table only gave a disgusted look at Erasa's choice of "cuteness" and snorted.

"Dorks and Geeks aren't allowed to sit at this table." Leaning back in his seat he crossed his arms and gave a very smug look to each boy. Gohan gave a little nervous laugh as if it were a joke and sat down anyway, and 'Vegeta' sat next to him, and across from Videl, responding only with a smile and the comment,

"Then I guess you'll have to find another place to sit, won't you?" Videl gave 'Vegeta' a half approving glance at the remark as Sharpner bristled, and both he and Gohan started pulling out a minute section of their enormous lunches. Sharpner, surprisingly enough, got over the little remark by 'new boy' and made the first overture to conversation.

"So how do you and Geek-boy here know each other?" 'Vegeta' raised an eyebrow at the terminology, but paused enough in his eating (slower than Gohan's) to answer.

"Gohan and I have been friends since we were about 11." He then went back to semi-inhaling his sandwich and bento box. Erasa leaned forward smiling.

"Ooh! Is that er, before or after the Cell Games?"

"Before."

Awkward silence as both boys resumed the intense consumption of their lunches. Erasa decided that to win these boys hearts, there was only one conversation that would keep them interested- Martial arts. With Videl's help, of course.

"Well…" the blonde started. Videl gave a groan. "You know our Videl here is the daughter of the one and only…Mr. Satan!" 'Vegeta' gave a snort and tried to feign interest.

"So I've heard." The comment came out slightly snide instead. He resumed inhaling his rice bowl. Erasa caught enough false enthusiasm to register the response as polite and interested.

"Yup! Isn't that fascinating?!"

Videl had been studying 'Vegeta' for some time with the same glare she gave Gohan, but to a lesser degree (he didn't seem to hide so much, just be self-contained.) Still, she felt it was her duty to check out the backgrounds of all suspicious new personages attending the school…

"Hey, you said your name was Briefs Vegeta?" 'Vegeta' looked up, surprised at the comment, while Gohan gave him an 'I told you so' look. The interrogation was about to begin.

"Yeah?" The lavender haired teen swallowed his mouthful and looked at the previously silent girl fighter. She narrowed her eyes a little.

"Any relation to Briefs Bulma?" He blinked. So this is what Gohan meant by questions. Not so bad.

"Yeah, she's my mom." He continued eating, and Gohan shook his head sadly, knowing the torture to come.

"So. You're the heir to Capsule Corps?"

"I guess so… my little brother Trunks might take the job, though." A slight smile. In THIS timeline, for sure. More eating.

"Say, Gohan," Videl started, a certain tone creeping into her voice. Gohan recognized that tone- Videl's "you never told me this" tone that promised a game of 20 Questions From Hell. The black haired demi-saiyajin gulped the mouthful of rice he had in his mouth at the time and started trying to remember all of the various excuses for odd behavior he had.

"Uh, yeah?"

Her eyes narrowed further. "Does that mean you know Bulma Briefs?"

"Uh… er… yeah?"

"How come you never told us?!"

Nervous laughter. "Well, I really didn't think it mattered…"

'Vegeta' picked up the extra explaining with a nonchalant shrug. "He's known her all his life. Why would it really be that special to him? We really don't make anything of our fame."

"True." Videl seemed content to let that one slide, although the nervousness in Gohan's answers always alerted her there was something more to the story she was missing. Why couldn't that boy be honest with her? And 'Vegeta'… he was too confident. Either he needed to be taken down a notch before he started messing with the smaller kids…or….he was hiding something. And Videl never let any secrets get past her.

She needn't have worried about Vegeta's composure.

"So," Sharpener started asking the lavender haired teen with a flip of his blonde locks over his shoulders, "Is your mom single?"

'Vegeta' nearly choked on his lunch.

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Ayah! Cut it kinda short for now, but more to come! ^_~