First off, I'd like to apologize to everyone for the long wait for the new chapter(s). I intentionally took the month of November off to attempt to focus more on my original writing for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), but the hiatus then spread into December due to the holidays. The earliest parts of January too have been spent on considering a lot of real-life matters. All of that aside though, I've got not one, but TWO (more on that later) chapters, so I hope they'll prove to have been worth the wait. Enjoy.

Chapter 3. Of Love and Training, Part 1

A flock of seagulls flew over a tiny island far out in the eastern seas, going about their usual path – though their small brains had already begun considering looking for another flight path to begin using. This island was usually safe enough, but every now and then, extremely loud noises would come from the land below, and sometimes a bizarre shock wave would come flying upwards at them, threatening to knock them right out of the air.

Instances of this happening had been occurring even more frequently for the past few months, leading the birds to re-consider their preferred flight path. The head of the flock, a bird that had lived long and seen many strange things, insisted that things would be fine though. His grandfather's grandfather's grandfather had flown this path for the winter, so there was no point in changing the established route just for a silly thing like 'danger'. Reluctantly, the younger birds, some of which were this bird's own family, agreed, and kept on the set flight path.

Suddenly, a loud bang went off, and another shock wave rippled through the air, hitting the flock leader with a loud 'zap'. The bird seemed to be suspended in midair momentarily, before it coughed a small puff of black smoke out of it's beak, and started to plummet out of the sky. That was the last straw. As most of the other birds flew away immediately, a few of the leader's loyal family members swooped down to catch him in their beaks, before making a break for it themselves. Forget the flight path, they'd rather stay through the winter if it came to that!

"No no no, you're doing it all wrong!" Roshi chastised his second student as Kuririn fell backwards onto his butt. "The hand motions for the Mafuba have to be performed very precisely, or else it will just blow up in your face like that."

"Yeah, think I caught that after the third explosion, thank you master." Kuririn grumbled as he struggled to stand up. He wasn't as young as he used to be, so even a burst of his own energy could knock him down if he wasn't careful. "Phew..." Finally back on his feet, the short warrior ran a hand through his pale gray hair, and tried to figure it out again. "I could have sworn I had that part figured out now...seems like I got further last time I tried it."

"That's because you did." Came the retort from #18, Kuririn's wife who was currently lounging on a beach chair, flipping idly through a magazine. She still didn't seem to have aged a bit since they had first met. "And the time before that too. Honestly, Kuririn, you're letting yourself go way too much. It's not like you had much to work with in the first place, is it."

"Thanks for that hon." Kuririn sighed, keeping his retort to himself, a trait he'd picked up fast a long time ago. Excuse him for not being eternally young. "I still don't really see how this is important though."

"You'll need to know it to pass on to the next generation." Roshi said, sitting down on the front steps of his little house, taking a swig from the beer he had left there. His eyes would occasionally flit over to 18's form on the chair, his gaze hidden by his usual shades. "Just because you're the only choice for the new Kame-sennin doesn't mean I can just hand over that title half-assed. You've gotta be ready for it."

"That's the part I can't understand." 18 said, sitting up and giving the old man a dirty look, almost as if she could sense his gaze. "You haven't taken on a student in years, old man, so saying you're 'retiring' is a bit of a stretch. Why the sudden interest in keeping your school going anyway?"

"She's got a point." Kuririn said, standing there and stretching a little, his old orange gi still fitting pretty well after all these years. "Nobody's shown up looking for training either. How do you know people are even going to be interested anymore?"

"The right kind of people are always going to be interested in bettering themselves through the martial arts." Roshi said before chugging some more of his beer. Setting the mug down, he exhaled contently, and seemed then to look off into the distance. He remained silent for a while before speaking again.

"In addition to the right kind of people, there's always going to be the wrong kind too. Just because the Earth is at peace now doesn't mean it's going to stay that way forever. That's something you ought to have learned the hard way, Kuririn."

"I know that, but what good would I or anyone I taught even be?" Kuririn chuckled weakly. "If you're worried about future threats, shouldn't you pin your hopes on Goku like we always have? Vegeta too, I guess."

"Not even they are going to be around forever. Nor will Pan, or Oob, or B- ...well, Boo might be. And your hot wife over there too." Roshi chuckled perversely, but stifled it after an icy-cool glare from the blonde android. He cleared his throat before continuing. "My point is that we have to start laying the seeds for future martial artists if we don't want our styles to die out, or worse, for the Earth to not be able to defend itself again in the future. We can't just rely on Goku or anyone else. We're all going to die someday. Even me."

Kuririn had his doubts about that last part, given how long-lived his master already was. He also had doubts about whether the Earth would ever face a threat on the level of past ones again either – surely the universe had just about run out of Freeza-level-and-above people by now, right? But he felt how much Roshi believed what he was saying, and Kuririn owed his master practically everything, so it wasn't like he could turn him down either.

"All right, all right, I guess I see your point." He smiled weakly. "And even if you did want to ask him to, Goku's not exactly the type to take on this kind of job, so I guess it'll have to be me after all."

"Kuririn..." Roshi said, a hint of fondness registering in his voice. He followed that up with more drinking though, before burping and standing up. "I think that's enough of a break then, you should get practicing again if you're ever going to get the Mafuba down."

"Right!" Kuririn said as he went back into the stance.

"And don't forget that you'll be charging your first students a fortune so we can finally get off this island." 18 added, having gone back to lying in the chair with her magazine.

"Right..." Kuririn sighed, and then renewed his focus. He focused his ki in the peculiar way that the technique called for, and...

A bright light went off with another loud bang, and another ripple went flying into the air, this time not hitting any birds. As the dust cleared Kuririn was on the ground yet again. Roshi finished off his drink and went inside for a refill, and 18 sighed and turned another page. Lying in the dirt, Kuririn's thoughts went to their daughter Marron. He hoped she was having an easier time today than he was.

She wasn't.

Only a few minutes had passed since Bra had told her mother that she was heading out for a shopping trip. As she got to the front door of Capsule Corp. however, the doors blew open and knocked her flying. "W-What the hell?!"

"I can't deal with it anymore! I'm through with him for good!"

Bra's eyes stopped swirling just in time to see her friend rushing towards the stairs, most likely heading for Bra's bedroom. "Marron? What's going on, what's wrong?" She called out after the blonde streak that rushed by, but no reply came. As Bra stood up to follow after, the door burst open a second time, and she got her answer.

"Marron, wait up!" Goten came running in next, skidding to a stop on the floor as his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. "Geez, since when has she been so fast..." He asked nobody as he looked around desperately for her. "Marron!"

"I should have known." Bra held her face in her hand in exasperation.

"Oh, Bra. I didn't see you there." Goten laughed, turning to face her while scratching his cheek nervously. "Um, did Marron happen to come through here?"

"She just ran crying up to my room." Bra said, giving her brother's friend a scowl that could curdle milk. "So what did you do this time, huh? No, wait." She held up a solitary finger in front of his face. "Let me guess. You were showing off in front of other girls again weren't you!"

"N-No!" Goten held up his hands in front of himself plaintively. "Where would you get an idea like that? I-I would never - "

"..."

"...M-Maybe a little. ...Yeah." He hung his head in defeat.

"You are such an ass." Bra groaned before lightly smacking the taller male's forehead with the back of her hand. "Why she put up with you this long before breaking up, I'll never understand."

"No way, did she say that?!" Goten freaked, trying to move past Bra to run up the stairs. Despite him being a lot stronger, Bra somehow managed to block his advance and lightly shoved him back.

"Slow down, Romeo. I think you've done enough damage for one day. I'LL go talk to her." She moved a few strands of hair out of her face and behind her ear.

Goten started to protest. "But I - "

"No buts!" Bra yelled as she moved up the stairs. "Go bother my brother for a while or something, he's down in the lab with mom. And I swear to Dende if you try coming upstairs before I give you the okay, I will personally kick your ass all the way back to Mount Frypan!"

Goten stared up at her as she disappeared around the corner, before his shoulders slumped a little. It looked like Trunks wasn't the only one around here that he usually couldn't beat.

Taking Bra's advice, Goten headed down the long hallway towards the main Capsule Corp. laboratory, a couple of scientists passing him by along the way, muttering about some kind of experiment or another. He thought he heard something about how the prototype 'Reality Machine' had been ruined after some idiot mistook it for a rice cooker, but it was all way over his head, especially with other things on his mind. He couldn't stop fretting over how mad he'd made Marron this time around.

Just before the doors to the lab, Goten saw someone come out from another hallway, and turn to go inside as well. He recognized the long, black hair immediately. "Hey there Mai. Haven't seen you in a while."

The woman jumped slightly, a slight rattling noise issuing form her form. It was soon revealed to be a platter with a teapot and three cups. "You startled me Goten." Mai smiled weakly, causing Goten to chuckle. Despite having spent over ten years living in a spare room here, and having grown up (again, so he was told) with them all, Mai still seemed nervous around almost everyone but Trunks.

"Sorry about that." Goten laughed, standing beside her now. "Is that tea for Trunks?"

"Mmhmm." Mai nodded with a light blush spreading across her face. "And Miss Bulma too. Ohh..." She looked down at the platter and realized that with Goten here, she was a cup short. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you. Could...could you take the platter in to them? I'll run back and get another cup for you." Mai looked crestfallen at even having to ask.

"Sure, if you want me to." Goten said, taking the tray from her hands. "I'd hate to impose though, you really don't have to." He couldn't resist, so he added, "I'm sure you can't wait to see Trunks anyway, right?"

Mai's entire face burst into flaming red. She shook her head furiously, saying "N-No, it's no problem at all! It's not like I-I have to be around him all the time!" And with that, she ran back down the hallway she'd come from before, at high speed.

Goten snickered to himself as he carried the tray towards the laboratory doors, thinking that Mai really was cute. Maybe it would be worth risking Trunks kicking his butt if he flirted with her a little.

...Nah.

"Oh, Trunks-sama!" Goten backed through the doors to the lab so he could keep the platter, while speaking in a high pitched voice. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting. Your black-haired beauty is here with tea!" Goten turned around with a big grin, expecting to find his best friend giving him an incredulous look. Instead he was treated to the sight of Trunks on a raised platform, messing with the wiring in a machine he didn't recognize. "Um..."

A few feet away, Bulma turned to face Goten while stifling a snicker. "Well that was quite an entrance. Don't be rude Trunks, say hello to your 'beauty'."

Trunks grunted and didn't look up from his work, a small burst of sparks spouting outward as he tinkered. "I don't know what planet that would be considered a beauty on, but I'm pretty sure it's one where Babidi would've been called a hunk."

Bulma laughed out loud now as Goten scowled. "Oh, great, I see how it is. Use me and then just toss me aside huh." Goten set the tea down on a nearby table. "See if I ever let you get to third base again."

"Darn, and I was so looking forward to tonight." Trunks retorted, finally poking his head out with a slight smirk. "So," He stood up and jumped down from the platform, landing as if it was nothing. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had a date with Marron today."

"Oh, well...about that...see..." Goten's own smile was weaker then, the corner of his mouth twitching with each word. Trunks and Bulma exchanged a knowing look before both sighed.

"Again huh? Man, you never learn." Trunks shook his head in disappointment.

"It's not like that!" Goten insisted. "Geez, why won't anybody believe me."

"Probably because you said that the last time. And it was that."

"Well...yeah, but that was last time!"

"..."

Goten recognized the look that Trunks was giving him as the exact same one Bra had earlier. They were both very much Vegeta's kids. Goten cleared his throat noisily and tried to change the subject for now. "Anyway, what the heck is that thing you're working on?"

"Oh, this thing?" Trunks turned back to the machine that he had been working on before. Looking at it now, Goten thought it looked kind of like the container capsule toys often come in, but it currently had a lot of wires coming off of it, dangling down and over the long, stalk-like legs. "It's a time machine."

"A time mach – wait, what?!"

Trunks' smirk was extremely cocky. "Yup. You remember the stories too don't you? When I was just a little kid, I – well, this other me, from another timeline – came to warn everyone about the Androids."

"Oh, yeah, I remember being told about that. The 'future' Trunks." Goten said, the memories of being told this story coming to the front of his mind. "That was when my older brother took care of that Cell guy, right?"

"Right." Trunks often forgot that Goten was technically a year younger than him, and therefore wasn't around for most of that. Then again, it wasn't like Trunks could remember it either.

"Cool." Goten said, marvelling at the sight of the time machine. "But wait, that Trunks went back to his own timeline. He didn't come back did he? Please don't tell me there's two Trunks now, 'cause I can barely handle one of you."

"Funny." Trunks said, considering smacking him upside the head, a love tap of course. "We made this one here. I got to thinking about what an amazing technology time travel was, and it just seemed like a big waste that mom had never made one here."

"There was never a need, thankfully." Bulma said, pouring herself some of the tea. "Once you brought it up though, it really did seem like a waste that I never did. If the other me could make one in the ruins of Capsule Corp. with a box of scraps, surely I could with better technology could. Especially with Trunks helping me out."

"Always knew you were an egghead." Goten teased, earning him that smack from Trunks. "Seriously though, this is awesome! I'd expect nothing less from the future president of the family business." Goten ran a finger casually under his nose. "Kinda makes me feel left behind. Maybe I should do something big with my life too."

"Well, you aren't getting any younger." Trunks shot back, patting his friend on the back. "Tell you what, give me a while to finish this, and then we'll work on whatever your project will be together."

"Yeah? Sure you wouldn't be too busy with business stuff?"

"Hey, I'm not stepping down as the head of the company that soon." Bulma spoke up. "I'm still too young and pretty."

"There you go, see?" Trunks smiled. "And as the current head of the company, you should take care of supervising things here for a while, don't you think mom?"

"That's just a fancy way of saying you're leaving me with the work again." Bulma said, but she wasn't angry about it. "Sure, you can take a break for a bit."

"Great. How about a sparring match Goten?" Trunks asked, holding up his arm and clenched fist.

"Sure thing." Goten matched his own arm and fist up against Trunks'. "You'd better be careful though. I'm a lot stronger than last time."

"Yeah right. The only thing you've gotten any better at is hitting on girls." Trunks said, scowling suddenly and making Goten blanch. "Speaking of," he put his arm around around Goten's neck and put him into a choke hold as he drug him along. "We're going to have a little 'chat' about that while we fight."

"H-Hey wait, I never agreed to that! Wait, Trunks! Let go of me, stop this!"

"Come on, man up!"

Bulma chuckled as the two young men left the laboratory through another door, heading to the backyard where the gravity chamber was. "Those kids never change." She was just taking another sip of her tea when the front doors came open again.

"All right, I got another tea cup." Mai said with a sweet smile on her face. Seeing only Bulma there made the smile fade away quickly however.

"Oh, Mai, you just missed Trunks. He's heading to the gravity chamber for a quick spar with Goten."

"W-What?!"

Advanced Author's Notes

As a fan of a lot of different authors and entertainment mediums, I always enjoy when the creators take the time to de-construct their work and show what went into various parts of it's creation, as well as listing any references someone might have missed. As such, I like to do the same myself, as a service to any readers out there.

- As I kind of hinted at the start of this chapter, and with the 'Part 1' in the title, all of these two chapters were originally meant to be one longer one. Once I had written them though, I realized they were a little too long when shoved together, so I separated them at the last second.
- The gag with the birds is probably funnier in my head than it is on paper, gah.
- I knew I wanted Kuririn to be training with the Mafuba ever since I planned this part of the story, but writing it required a little bit of research. Supposedly the Mafuba kills the user upon any use, but even in the original manga that's a little hazy as clearly Tenshinhan has learned to use it somehow or another, and learning to use it would entail...well, practice. So please take Kuririn's training with it in stride as well.
- I couldn't find a way to work it into the description of Kuririn, but his hair is in a cut almost identical to that in Battle of Gods, but now quite gray. Not as gray as it would be in GT though.
- 18 however is kind of sporting her GT look, as far as hairstyle goes.
- Kuririn's preparing to take over the Turtle school, as well as Roshi's not wanting to train people anymore, is pulled from the Dragon Ball Online storyline, where Roshi has long since retired and Kuririn has taken over the school. I won't be adhering to everything from that timeline, but this one I really liked, and since this story is set a long time prior to when Online would take place, it only makes sense that he's just getting ready to take over at this point.
- Roshi and Kuririn's discussion about the right and wrong kind of people wanting to learn martial arts will be somewhat important as we move along, so keep it in mind.
- Their dialogue also could use some fixing up, I feel, but I'm not sure how. Hmm...
- In my really rough original ideas for this story, I had Goten dating a revamped version of his girlfriend from GT, and Trunks was with Marron. I really wanted to keep that idea in place here, as I had a planned joke about it later (which you'll still kind-of see in part 2), but then Battle of Gods happened and introduced the Trunks x Mai concept. I found it adorable, so I re-worked that to be the pairing here, and was able to swing Marron back over to Goten and eliminate his GT girlfriend all together. She was extraneous anyway.
- Bra looks basically the same as she did in GT, only not dressed like a hooker.
- Goten however looks EXACTLY like his GT counterpart. I really like his look there for some reason. Also, contrary to some fan's beliefs, the whole 'Goten is date-crazy' thing does come up in Z, at the very end of the original manga no less. GT kinda-sorta gets undue crap for it.
- The 'Reality Machine'/rice cooker joke is a reference to one of my favorite Dr. Slump inventions.
- My version of Mai is just my own envisioning of how a newly grown up Mai, after years of working for Pilaf and shirking all kinds of romantic things as 'dirty' as is somewhat implied by their actions in the manga, would act after having found romance at last. Whether you agree with this somewhat nervous, shy incarnation is up to you, but don't worry - she'll still have some backbone too.
- Goten's 'Trunks-sama!' moment is mostly just the kind of goofy crap that life-long friends tend to give each other, but it's also my subtle nod at the long-lived yaoi pairing between the two. Oh lord how that was rampant back in the early days...
- Trunks building a time machine is something else I've pulled from the Online timeline, kind of. In DBO, there's a 'Time Patrol Trunks' character that is assumed to be Future Trunks, but so far as anyone I've talked to knows, it's pretty much up in the air who it is. At any rate, I'm not heading into any 'Time Patrol' direction in this or any future fic either probably, but it did seem like a fun plot idea to have around, and show the side of Trunks that he inherited from his mother.
- If you thought the ruins-and-a-box-of-scrap bit is totally an Iron Man reference...you nailed it. Hey, Team Four Star did it, I felt compelled to too!
- The idea of Trunks and Goten working on 'something' together eventually is probably obvious if you know the Online timeline. If you don't though, I'll just say it'll come up later in the story, so...keep that in mind too.