Ep.4. Learning to live
The next day...
"Chew Attack!" Trunks shouted, and started eating in typical Saiyan fashion. After a few mouthfuls, he felt everyone's eyes on him. The 8-year-old teenager looked up, swallowed, and asked: "What? Do I have something on my face?"
"What did you just say?" Bulma asked.
"Uuh... Chew Attack?" Trunks replied uncertainly, shrugging.
Vegeta scoffed and resumed eating. Mr Briefs picked up his newspaper, while his wife hadn't stopped eating in the first place. Bulla the toddler giggled childishly and threw a piece of food at Trunks, hitting his cheek. The older demi-Saiyan wiped it off with his arm, slightly disgusted. But this only seemed to amuse Bulla even more.
"Since when do you say that?" Bulma wondered out loud.
"Ever since I heard Gohan say it," Trunks replied honestly. Huh. I guess little me never said that. I wonder if the Gohan from this timeline says it... Probably not.
Breakfast carried on normally after that, and when Trunks was done eating he helped his grandmother and the robots to gather the dishes onto the sink to be rinsed and put into the dishwasher. Mr Briefs was too engrossed in his newspaper and cigarette to notice, while Vegeta paid no mind to his son's unusual behaviour and left to go train. The only one who really noticed was Bulma.
I guess Trunks is hoping to get a raise in his allowance or some new game, the heiress thought, shrugging it off as a coincident like the "Chew Attack" thing.
A few weeks passed, and Trunks began to grow accustomed to his new life.
Every day he would eat breakfast with his family. Afterwards he could either play with Bulla or by himself for a few hours and then have a Saiyan-sized snack, though he preferred to train half the time. Next came three hours with a private tutor (whom Trunks found himself intensely disliking). Then it would be dinner time and again, the whole Briefs family would generally dine together (or inhale food, in Trunks and Vegeta's case). Afterwards Trunks could either play with his sister or by himself, go to Goten's place, or train. The day would end for him at around 9pm after supper, Bulma insisting that Trunks go to bed on time (much to his embarrassment).
"Is it just me, or has Trunks changed lately?" Bulma asked her father one day when they were in one of the labs.
"What do you mean, Bulma? Pass that screwdriver, please," Mr Briefs replied.
Bulma picked up the screwdriver and handed it over. "I don't know; he just seems different. Maybe I'm overthinking things."
But in her heart she knew that she wasn't. The past two or three weeks Trunks had always called Vegeta Father instead of Dad and sometimes even called her Mother instead of Mum. As if that wasn't suspicious enough, her son's behaviour had taken an almost complete 180 turn. Sure, he still was cocky, proud and reckless, but his manners had gotten much better, he was less selfish and he had taken a real liking to his sister. On top of all that, Trunks had started training intensely. Never before had the demi-Saiyan shown his much dedication to fighting. It was as if it wasn't a game to him anymore.
"What's this?" Trunks wondered out loud, dropping the towel that had been around his neck. He was sweaty and dressed in a green gi with orange wristbands, boots and martial arts belt, having just finished an intense training session. The loose tank top part of the gi was turned inside out and hanging upside down on him like a miniskirt, revealing the boy's physique to be much more toned than any human athlete's.
The pale-lavender-haired demi-Saiyan was in one of the living rooms, looking through a large box of videos to try and learn more about his other self's life. Trunks was certain that his mother would have made videos to capture precious memories; she had done so even with the hassle of the Androids' reign of terror.
He found a videotape with a small photo of his baby self's face stuck on it. "'Trunks's and Bulla's firsts'. That sounds interesting," Trunks stated absentmindedly after reading the videotape's title. He stood up from his crouching position and walked over to the video-player, slotted the videotape in, and pressed play.
At once, the TV connected to it flared to life as Trunks sat down cross-legged on the carpet.
On the screen was his mother, standing with a baby version of him in front of her. She was holding his hands up and her head was bent down a little.
"Come on, Trunks. Just move your feet. You can do it," Bulma said.
"No," little Trunks retorted, then pouted with a stubborn look that made the watching boy chuckle.
"It's okay, Trunks dear. Just take it one step at a time," Mrs Briefs' voice could be heard. She most likely was the one holding the camera.
Vegeta suddenly walked into the room. He glanced around before his gaze settled on Trunks and Bulma. He titled his head the slightest bit and asked: "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm teaching Trunks to walk. He's exactly a year old and still hasn't even taken a single step," Bulma replied annoyedly.
Vegeta smirked, crossing his arms. "Let go of the boy's hands."
"What?! Why?"
"Just do it."
"Fine, but when he cries you will comfort him, got it?"
Bulma let go and the baby fell on his butt. He blinked and angry tears started to form in his eyes.
Vegeta rolled his eyes.
"Figures. That is like Father," Trunks muttered, but he wasn't surprised or offended. It wasn't as if the Saiyan Prince had showed any indication that he cared for either of his sons other than attacking Cell after the older Trunks died.
"Brat, get up," Vegeta ordered.
"Vegeta, I already told you. He can't," Bulma said, but the pure-blooded Saiyan paid no attention to what she said.
"Brat, I am not going to tell you again. Get up NOW," Vegeta said with finality.
Baby Trunks scowled,making the real Trunks laugh out loud at how much the toddler looked like his father. The baby then placed his palms on the floor, pushing himself onto his feet. He wobbled a little before marching unsteadily over to the Prince.
Once he reached his father, baby Trunks looked up at the man and scowled again.
"But, how? And since when did you know?" Bulma asked, her eyes wide.
"The brat would crawl all over the place, following me and his older self whenever he got the chance. He started walking the day after the Cell Games," Vegeta explained in a tone that made it sound like it was no big deal.
"Oh yeah. I forgot the little guy followed me all the time," Trunks murmured to himself.
"HE'S BEEN WALKING SINCE HE WAS 7 MONTHS OLD?! AND YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO TELL ME?!" Bulma screamed, prompting the baby and his daddy to place their hands over their ears.
"Shut up, Woman! You're making our ears bleed!" Vegeta shouted, making his infant son to start crying.
Even the real Trunks was holding his ears. "Yeesh. Mum really knows how to scream..."
The video changed to show Bulla as about two years younger than she was now. She was crawling over to her mother, who picked up the little girl and rubbed their noses together.
She then set the infant own and the camera shifted to show Trunks and Goten eating cake on the floor. Bulla unsteadily walked, then fell down and crawled over to them.
Trunks smiled, thinking: The younger me really was lucky to have a sister. I bet Mum would have loved her. He felt saddened at the thought of his true mother, but shook his head to clear it of negative thoughts.
"Too! Too!" Bulla cooed, putting her tiny hand on Trunks
"No, Bulla. This is my cake," Trunks said, moving away a little so that her hand dropped to the floor.
"Too! Too's cay!" Bulla replied, still smiling. She reached for the cake, but Trunks held the dessert plate up so she couldn't touch it.
"Bulla, I said no! Why aren't you asking Goten instead?" Trunks said annoyedly, standing up and holding his plate higher.
"Too's cay!" Bulla insisted, grabbing Trunks's jeans and pulling herself onto her feet.
"I think it's more to do with you than the cake, Trunks," Goten remarked innocently.
"Twunks! Twunks cake!" Bulla giggled.
The older demi-Saiyans' mouths dropped open. "Did she just say 'Trunks's cake'?" Trunks asked, baffled.
"Bulla, can you repeat what you said?" Goten said.
"Twunks cake!" the baby girl repeated, once more reaching for the cake.
"Wow... So I'm Bulla's first word. Along with 'cake', that is," Trunks commented to no-one in particular. He pressed the speed-up button to skip forward, but then suddenly pressed pause when he noticed something.
"They must have recorded over the Cell Games tape. I didn't know Mother even had this thing," Trunks murmured, unable to tear his gaze away. There on the screen was the monster who claimed to be the perfect being, the monster who had killed him in the original timeline and this timeline, the monster who was responsible for Goku's death. Cell, Android 21.
Trunks couldn't help recalling that day...
Flashback
"AAAHH! AAH! AAAAHH!" Gohan screamed. The 11-year-old Super Saiyan was being squeezed in a tight bear-hug by none other than Cell.
Goku, why?! the 17-year-old (19 if the Hyperbolic Time Chamber years counted) shouted in his mind, yet on the outside he was frozen speechless. He's your son, for Kami's sake! Why would you let him get hurt like this? I understand there can be accidents in battle, but telling your son to fight Cell? That's crazy!
"Your son is in worse agony than he has ever been before in his life!" Piccolo's shout pierced through Trunks's thoughts. He turned his attention to the Namekian warrior and the Earth-raised Saiyan. A shocked and horrified look of realization was on Goku's face before he looked determined and asked Krillin to toss him a senzu bean.
Before the short bald human could do so, however, Cell let go of Gohan. The boy fell on the dirt onto his stomach, breathing raggedly.
Gohan... I can't take this anymore! If Goku doesn't do something, I will! Trunks decided.
Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance as Cell produced seven mini-Cells that he ordered to attack the Z-Fighters.
End flashback
Trunks clenched his fists so hard blood started dripping from them. "It's just like with those two monsters. I was too weak to help Gohan," the demi-Saiyan muttered bitterly. He shut the video-player and TV off, stood up and walked off to go to his room.
He had no idea that in a couple days he would get a shock...
To be continued...
Trunks is starting to get used to this new life. Too bad his past still haunts him.
I hope Vegeta wasn't a bit OOC in the video part. Speaking of which, I use this for videos and/or TV, this for flashbacks and dreams, this for Saiyago and this for thoughts. Just to make it clear.
This chapter was completely messed up when I first published it, so I had to fix the whole thing. Thanks for the helpful reviews.