A/N: Some changes: In the earlier chapters, I referred to Mirai Trunks as Future Trunks, but I've decided to change to simply Trunks. I hope you don't find the change confusing.


Chapter 11

Enemy from the Past


Bulma pushed the vines to the side and peeped out the opening. She watched as Vegeta zipped through the thick oversized trees. Within seconds, he was completely out of sight. She stepped out, feeling the slimy moss squished beneath her sneakers. Vegeta had told her to stay put. As if she would listen. She knew the architect of the programming better than anyone. Even if the illusion of the forests felt real, behind it was still their house. They were still in their basement.

Bulma raised her head to the sky. "Giddymouse!"

She stood, listening to all the wonderful wilderness sound, the soft rustle of the leaves, the buzzing of the assorted insects and the chirping of hundreds different species of birds. Right. Splendid. These irritating sounds were stifling the noise of her laptop, making her search that much harder. Bulma cursed. She looked ahead, finding a small incline trail snaking to the right. The trail was not paved, large roots stuck out from the dirt and fallen trees blocked portion of the path. Her laptop was somewhere in this forest. It might not be visible, but if she was within the proximity, she could call forth the damn mouse.

Taking a deep breath and pulling her sweatpants up so the hem stayed above the dirt, Bulma marched forward.

"Giddymouse!" she yelled, cupping her mouth so the sound would travel further. She squinted her eyes to scan for any signs of anything non-organic. Again, nothing.

Bulma continued along the trail. Looking up, she frowned as she noticed the top of the massive trees had created a canopy above her, blocking lights from entering the increasing narrow path. Bulma scowled. She wished she had taken Goku's offer and gone on one of his camping trips. Maybe she would learn a thing or two about surviving in the wild. Bulma refocused on the path. Batting the hanging twigs and the wide variety of flying bugs from her face, she moved ahead, all the while screaming Giddymouse's name.

She paused when she saw a path forked into three different trails. "This is just great," she said, rolling her eyes. One thing she knew about the wilderness, it was extremely easy to be lost in one. Bulma was not about to tread this uncomfortable stuffy forest forever, not when her back started to ache and fatigue started to creep up her body. It had already been more than a day since she slept and she was really feeling the effect.

"You stupid mouse! Where the hell are you!" she screamed. When Bulma was once again met with silence, she let out a frustrated grunt. She stood, pointing right, then the middle and finally to the left, silently singing the nursery rhymes. "Mo!" Her finger stopped at the middle path. "The middle it is."

Another ten minutes passed and still no sign of the wretched computer. Right when she was about to take a break, she saw it. A blinking red light. "Bingo!"

"I think not, Bulma."

She spun around. Bulma yelped as she stepped back, almost tripping on uprooted branch. "Whoo…are you?" Bulma stared with wide eyes. Before her was a white face filled with a disgustingly wide grin. Behind this face, Bulma could vaguely see another face painted in red. "You are Minat and Gizeth!"

"I see you know who we are. I am the one they call Minat," the white face said. Their body angled to the right and the head turned slightly, giving Bulma a clear view of the other face. "He is Gizeth, my partner. It is my honor to finally meet the one who had invented the room."

"Speak for yourself." The back became the front and Gizeth was now facing her. A lightning scar ran from the tip of the forehead down the cheeks, which had created an image of a warrior who had fought in many hard battles.

Bulma took another step back and scanned right and then left. The path she took on the way here was completely blocked. She did not see anyone else. No Vegeta.

Was she scared? Hell yeah! It took every ounce of her reserved energy to stop herself from shaking. She was no longer the coward she had been on Namek or the damsel waiting to be rescued. She admitted that she still needed to be rescued. She was human after all. It was not like she could just blast her way into freedom. Coward, she was definitely not, at least anymore, and she would be damn if she gave her enemy the satisfaction of seeing her terrified.

Bulma closed her eyes and took a breathe of the musky air. She mentally prepped herself to stay strong. She reopened her eyes and stared at the two faces with one body, her stance unwavering. Bulma narrowed her eyes and observed the interaction between the two faces. Already, Bulma noticed a distinctive difference in personality. The face in white was better mannered, while the other was a bit more aggressive and even impatient. Bulma could definitely use this information to her advantage.

"Minat thinks you can get destroy us. He said you're the most dangerous of them all," Gizeth snorted, taking slow and deliberate step. He pulled his lips up with a small snarl, his eyes twinkled with amusement. "Now, what do you think we want with someone who can destroy us?"

Instead of backing away, Bulma stood her ground. Even if she ran, she doubted she could outrun these two. All she could hope for now was to stall. After Vegeta finished his business, she was sure Vegeta would be coming to look for her. The question was, would he make it on time?

Ignoring the obvious threats in Gizeth's question, she finally asked, "How did you turn my lab into a forest? How is that possible?"

The monster halted. "My sincere apology, Bulma. I am afraid we cannot answer any of your questions." Bulma did not see the red face's mouth moved, so she figured it was the face in the back that was doing the talking. The body shifted once again, showing the face in the back. This was seriously getting a tad annoying. Leave it to Trunks to design such an inconvenient monster.

Despite what Minat said, Bulma continued to pry. "What happened to the game?" When they did not answer, she continued, "The game was a diversion, wasn't it?" She watched their reaction carefully. The face did not react, but Bulma could see a slight twitch in the white face. She hit the spot.

Bulma bit her lower lip. These creations of Trunks could now walk freely outside of the confined room. That was the problem. Her programs were no longer restricted to one area. These holographic images expanded from the simulation room to her lab. What could possibly be the cause? She thought back to the conversation she had with Giddymouse. The virus had infiltrated her systems, reprogramming all the codes and functions. "This is the work of the virus," She concluded. Bulma cursed herself for being tricked. She should have guessed it. All the time wasted, breaking into the black box could have been spent deciphering the origin of the virus.

The white face sighed through his gaping mouth. "Perhaps if you're not that smart, we might allow you to live, but as this prove, you are a threat to our existence," Minat said. "Gizeth, make it a fast and painless death. She deserved as much."

"What's the fun in that?"

"Please, Gizeth, none of your unnecessary brutality," Minat insisted.

"Wait," Bulma intended to stall as long as she could. "What do you really want? Freedom? I can make it happen."

"I am afraid I cannot take your words on this matter. Even now, I can see deception in your eyes. Do not take us for a fool," Minat said.

Deception! Who's tricking who? Bulma bit her tongue from speaking her thoughts. She narrowed her eyes when another thought popped in her head. "If you don't need my help, then you know how to escape, don't you?"

"Don't you see what she's doing?" Gizeth said, inching his way toward Bulma, smirking. Bulma inadvertently stepped back, her heart thumping against her chest. She tried. She really tried her best to stretch the time. Where the hell was Vegeta!

"Very well. Your time is up, Bulma."


Goku materialized before Bulma's front door. It had only been a night since he last visited this compound and here he was again. Had it not been for the sudden spike in Vegeta's ki and the emergence of unfamiliar ki, Goku suspected that they would still be in the hospital, assisting with the evacuation.

While Gohan and Piccolo were concerned about the gadgets springing to life and the possible indication that it had on this peaceful planet, Goku admitted that his thought was fully on the upcoming game.

Goku looked back. Gohan was right behind him with the two younger Saiyans, one on each side, waiting for Goku next move. Piccolo had decided to stay with Chichi and Videl to look after their safety as well as investigate the cause of the berserk machines.

Goku raised one finger, silently telling the kids to wait. They nodded.

Before Goku left the compound, he had temporarily placed the fallen door at the entrance. It was not much of a shield, but better than leaving an open invitation for all those who passed their house. Goku stood in front of the temporary door and gave it a light push. It dropped, falling backward into the living area. He could see the inside clearly from where he stood. It was just as he left it, still in a big mess. He concentrated on the ki emitting from within. His brows creased. He did not like the unfamiliar ki approaching to Bulma and a very familiar ki almost near Vegeta. To make matter worst, Vegeta and Bulma was not together. What were they thinking! Goku closed his eyes, giving all his efforts in pinpointing their precise location, but the more he tried, the more the ki eluded him.

Goku placed one foot forward, stepping on the hinge. As soon as he stuck his head through the doorway, he gasped. "Holy shit!" he accidently let out. He immediately yanked himself back outside.

"What happened?" Gohan asked, about to repeat Goku's action by taking a step.

Goku halted him by extending his arm across the open entrance. "Gohan, what are the possibilities that..." Goku tried to remember one of the words they had used. "the projection..can the projection leave the actual room?"

"Impossible."

Goku thought as much. He relaxed his arm, giving Gohan free access to Bulma's house, but blocked the two younger Saiyans. "Stick your head in and tell me I'm not going crazy."

Gohan did as he was told. He stuck his head in and within seconds, pulled it out with his eyebrows stitching and widening, a look of total confusion and bewilderment. He stuck his head in just to pull it out again, repeating this action at least three times. "Dad, if you're crazy then so am I."

He could almost see his eldest son's thought spinning, no doubt assessing the possibilities of this new discovery. Goku never understood why Chi Chi had insisted on Gohan's study when he was a child, but now, Goku was starting to understand a little. Gohan was strong, even more so than him, but aside from that, Gohan was also smart, a deadly combination, Goku thought with a proud smile on his face.

"If what I'm thinking is true, then we're in serious trouble," Gohan groaned.

Goten and Trunks eyed each other and then looked to Goku and Gohan for details. "Dad, what did you see?" Goten asked.

"A forest," Gohan responded before Goku had a chance.

Their mouths dropped, dumbfounded and speechless. They both glanced past Gohan only to find flipped couches, shattered glasses and broken household items. Goten and Trunks was not the only one baffled. They all were.

"But…" Goten pointed to the living area.

"Yes, we're all seeing the same thing. A normal house with damaged goods, but once we stepped through, well...the house changed," Gohan explained, positioning his glasses back in place. He rubbed his chin as he focused intently on the inside.

"Do not let your guard down. I have a sinking feeling this is one of the many surprises to come," Goku continued and Gohan nodded in agreement. From the brief second he entered the tree infested world, he could clearly locate both Vegeta and Bulma's ki. Time was running short.

Gohan leaned closer to Goku and whispered in his ear, "Is it wise to let Goten and Trunks come along?"

"I'm coming!"

"So am I!"

Goku almost tripped as he took one step back. The two shorter Saiyans were instantly before him, staring up at him with four wide, determined eyes. Goku chuckled and ruffled the back of his head. After Buu, it had been difficult to get his youngest son engaged in a good spar. Both Trunks and Goten lacked the drive to become stronger. Sure, they had use the simulation room for sparring, though to them, it was just all funs and games. Goku was secretly pleased that if nothing else, this new threat had put spark back in his son's life.

The first year after he came back to live, Goten had been his little shadow, following him everywhere. He always wanted to play. Goku had been more than willing to be the father he never was, but then somewhere along the way, he noticed he saw Goten less. He wondered why. Sure, Goku had taken some...well...maybe more than some solo trips and had not been home as much, but when he was home, he was always ready to play with his little boy, but Goten had shown less and less interest in spending time with him. Goku hoped that he could use this time to get a little closer to his youngest.

Goku placed one hand on his son's head and the other on Trunks, only to find Trunks turning crimson red and casted his eyes straight to the cold cement. Oh yeah. I almost forgot that this is Trunks from the future. Goku let out a nervous laugh and let go of his hands. Turning to Gohan, he said, "Don't worry. I'm here. I'll make sure nothing will happen to them."

Goku could tell Gohan was not convinced, but reluctantly abided.

"Ready?"

All three boys nodded. In pairs, they walked through. "This is unreal," Goku heard Goten shouted out, followed by a very confused 'what', mostly likely from Trunks. Goku could not blame them. Even his head hurt from just thinking of an explanation. Just hearing Gohan and Bulma talked with technological terms had caused his mind to reel in circles. Goku would not deny it. He was absolutely no help in a factual and theoretical discussion. Where he thrived was his combatant and his tactical ability. While Vegeta was a master strategist with superior skills on long-term battle plans, Goku was not without skills of his own. In a tight situation, Goku has an innate ability to form short but effective plan to overcome his enemies.

Once Goku's body completely emerged from the entrance, thick tree trunks appeared behind them, blocking their escape. As seconds passed, the brightness from the outside world gradually diminished. Goku placed his fingers on his forehead, concentrating on Piccolo's ki. It was vague, barely detectable, but it was there. As long as he could sense his ki, he could teleport his way out.

He turned his attention to the dense forest ahead. Vegeta was already engaged in battle. From the power level, Vegeta had already transformed to Super Saiyan 2. This was so unlike Vegeta, who liked to toy with this opponent before showing his real power. How long had he been fighting? It shouldn't be too long ago since they just picked up the sudden spike of ki activity. Either Vegeta was having a tough time beating his opponent or he was anxious to finish the fight.

Deeper in the forest, further from where he sensed Vegeta, Goku could feel fear emitting from Bulma's ki. Now, Goku understood the reason for Vegeta's urgency.

Bulma was in danger.

Since Goku could not be at two places at once, he could only trust Gohan to lead one of the rescue missions. But who should he send with him? Trunks? Goten? Or none? And where? Goten had met their creations before and his information on their skills could prove invaluable. Trunks, on the other hand, should stay far away from them. Between Vegeta, Gohan and Trunks, Goku concluded they were more than enough to handle their old, unwelcomed enemy. Goku decided he should lead Goten and rescue Bulma.

"Listen, everyone," Goku motioned them to crowd around him. Goten and Trunks slowly moved, their heads up in the sky one minute and all around the next, staring at the new surrounding in wonder and disbelief. Once everyone gathered, Goku turned on his serious face to command their complete attention.

"Gohan and Trunks, you go and help Vegeta. Goten and I will rescue Bulma." Goku glanced at each of their face to see their reaction. Surprisingly, no one objected.

"A smart move, Dad," Gohan said, smiling. "You've been paying attention after all. Sending Trunks to Minat and Gizeth will indeed be a bad idea."

Goku once again let out a nervous laugh. "I guess I did, didn't I? Anyways, time is running out. We should be on our way. One more thing. I can still teleport out of here. When either side is finished, remember to go to the other team."

Everyone nodded and flew their separate way.


Vegeta stood with one foot on the cracked boulder; his arms crossed against his chest, waiting for the tyrant to show up. Vegeta focused on Bulma's ki and scowled when he sensed movement. That damn woman! It was too late. He could not go back for her without bringing the enemy along. The only thing Vegeta could do now was to finish him off as quickly as possible.

"I see you have changed, prince Vegeta," the short figure appeared with his tail slapping against the nearby stones and rocks, smashing it into tiny dust.

"I see you did not. Just as repulsive as ever, Frieza." Vegeta snorted. Vegeta took a quick sweep of Frieza's current power. This was not good. Vegeta remembered only leveling Frieza to Level 3. This one did not belong to him. Fucking Kakarott!

Frieza stretched his lips and curled the corner into an appalling smirk; his head tilted slightly to the right. "Ah…I almost forgot that mouth of yours. I truly miss it," Frieza said while wetting his foul purple lips with his snake-like tongue.

"Hmph. You have forgotten more than the mouth of mine. You've completely forgotten how powerful I've become," Vegeta flatly stated.

This had extracted a hideous, high-pitched cackle from the white lizard. Once Frieza seized his laughter, he made a big show of wiping an invisible tear from his tiny slitted eye. "You never ceased to entertain me, my monkey prince. The last I remembered, I had sent you to your grave, and what did you do before that?"

Vegeta gritted his teeth. He did not enjoy taking a trip down that memory lane. Vegeta hardened his face. Control, Vegeta repeated in his mind. Do not let him provoke you.

"Oh yes. Did you not weep like a pathetic child in front of your third-class subject? Did you not beg for revenge?"

He forgot how much he hated this lizard. Frieza had always been the pain of his existence. Even after his death, the tyrant still plagued his dreams of the cruel punishments and humiliations Vegeta had endured throughout his childhood and into adulthood. He had always regretted that Frieza did not die by his own hand, perhaps, this was his chance.

"What's the matter, little prince? Too scared to talk back?" Frieza taunted, obviously having fun at his expenses.

Instead of falling into Frieza's trap of provocation, Vegeta had a better idea. He smirked, feeling a piece of his shrewdness returned. "Oh Frieza, you, ruler of the universe, feared by all who heard of the name, was only whinny little brat." Vegeta smirked wider when Frieza was no longer smiling. His face became dark, his eyes slit thinner. Mimicking Frieza's tone, Vegeta continued, "When you were killed by my so called third-class subject, what did you do after that? Oh yes, did you not run to his dearest daddy for help, just to be killed by my son."

"Vegeta, you will regret making a fool out of me. I, Frieza, will never turn tails and run to my sire. You are spinning false tales and I will make sure you pay dearly for it." He took one step toward him, snapping dried twigs in halves or more.

From Frieza's reaction, Vegeta could tell Frieza genuinely believed he had committed no such acts. No matter, Vegeta had accomplished his goal. The one with the upper hand in battle was always the one with a leveled head. Vegeta was simply using Frieza's tactic to lure him into an unconscious rage. The sooner this fight was over, the sooner he could retrieve Bulma.

Just to check up on his disobedient woman, he scanned the area where he last left her. He frowned. She was far from where she should have been. Another ki, a ki that Vegeta would never forget, was near her. Too close for his comfort. This was not good. Damn woman!

Vegeta highly doubted that Frieza would pause the fight so he could save his woman. No, that would be too easy.

Vegeta's gaze followed Frieza closely. Once Frieza was positioned beside the largest tree filled with webs of intertwined branches, Vegeta released a sizable ki ball straight at the tree, right above the root. The impact caused the aged tree to split from the base and dropped onto the unexpected recipient. Vegeta did not expect this to finish Frieza. A diversion was all he needed. He has no time to play with this fiend, even though he very much wanted to send Frieza to hell and back twice over.

But Bulma was his priority. Vegeta used the coverage of the dry dust from the wooden splinters to aid his exit. "I'm sure we'll meet again," Vegeta said, dryly. He turned, lifted himself from the boulder and was about to fly toward Bulma's direction.

"Leaving so soon?"

Vegeta did not expect it. Normally, he would have sense the ki. Maybe he did, maybe the tyrant was simply too fast, so fast that he did not pick up the movement before it was too late. In a matter of second, Vegeta felt this body lifted in the air, then a blow to his right cheek, sending him soaring through columns of sturdy trees. Shit!


Trunks had been silent since his awakening, only observing and digesting pieces of information thrown at him. He did not ask for more details nor had the opportunity to do so. What he did learn was that they were facing some unknown threat that had manifested from an invention his mother had created. It was frustrating to be left in the dark.

Truth to be told, Trunks found it difficult to insert himself in their conversations. He felt like an intruder in more ways than one. While he had a purpose in going to the past of the other timeline, his purpose here was unknown. Trunks sighed. He just had to be patient. He was sure his mother of this timeline could come up with a resolution and send him back to his original world.

He followed Gohan closely, barely keeping up with the older Saiyan's speed. This body was shorter than he was used to, but he had adjusted. Trunks' flexed his arm, thus agitated the wounds from the fractured ribs. Right now, the pain was dulled with the help of medication and Trunks could feel his bones started to mend on its own. He should have no trouble lending his father a helping hand.

Beside the fractured ribs, Trunks found nothing else broken in this body. While practicing control over this twelve years old boy, he learned that this Trunks possessed a power far beyond what he himself was capable of at that age. Also, his counterpart could already transform into a Super Saiyan. Legend had it that only when one was pushed past their limits, both emotionally and physically, could one ascend to their Super Saiyan form. His came with a huge price, a sacrifice. Trunks wondered what the trigger was for his counterpart, at such a young age, no less.

Trunks surveyed his surroundings, while looping through the gap between branches, limbs and vines. If he did not see with his own eyes, he would have thought this was impossible. Though Trunks should not be too surprised, his mother, after all, had invented a time travel machine. Trunks swatted another hanging plant from his view. Even so, it still amazed Trunks that a compound could completely transform into forest filled with dense vegetations. Not only that, they have been flying with high speed for at least five minutes. Surely, his mother's house was not so big that it could accommodate a forest the size of a national park. Something must have caused it. Was it the invention they were talking about?

Another mystery was the ki he had sensed back in the hospital. He had no doubt the ki belonged to Frieza, but that made absolutely no sense at all. He remembered clearly as if it happened yesterday. He had destroyed Frieza. Not even a speck of cells survived, then how could it be possible that Frieza was here? Again, the images from his memory were vague, fleeting, hard to grasp. Did he really kill Frieza? He was about to wonder about his sanity.

"We're almost there," Trunks heard Gohan said. Trunks shifted right to avoid the wooden barrier and shifted left to avoid another, maneuvering skillfully through the obstacles. "Be on guard."

"Right," was all Trunks said.

How would his father react to his appearance? Stealing the body of his real son? How about his mother? Trunks unconsciously swallowed the lump from this throat. He was nervous. Meeting his father again was both exciting and intimidating. The father, from the other past, was just as his own mother described, a complete and utter asshole. Despite knowing it, Trunks could not help but accept the father for who he was; all bad qualities included. However, the Vegeta he met from this world was different. Not in appearance, but in the attitude. Mellower, softer and Trunks caught glimpses of the compassion when interacting with this Trunks. Trunks assumed that Vegeta was of this world. He did not confirm it, but all evidences led to this conclusion. From the reaction of Goku, Gohan and even Goten who spoke of Vegeta, they almost treated his father as one of their own, part of the family almost. Dare Trunks hope? All he wanted was to know his father. The father his mother fell in love with.

"Get ready, Trunks."

Trunks reached for his back, only to realize this body carried no sword. It was not like he needed it. It was a bad habit of his to always reach for the object his mother had given him.

"Vegeta!" Trunks heard Gohan yelled out. From the corner of his eyes, he confirmed the enemy fighting with his father was indeed Frieza, in his final form, before his body was reconstructed with metallic parts.

His father was only two short feet away, blocking all the punches from Frieza's relentless attack. This Frieza was much more powerful than the one he destroyed, even more so than the androids from his time.

Trunks saw Gohan powered up. Something was different, Trunks noticed. The blue aura appeared from the base of his feet and gradually engulfed the rest of his body; his hair spiked as if he was about to turn Super Saiyan, but before that happened, Gohan shifted a little to the right and then disappeared, only to appear behind Frieza. With a quick jab, Gohan sent Frieza shooting across the now barren land. Trunks could not believe his eyes. His father had transformed beyond the power of Super Saiyan and was barely keeping up with Frieza. All Gohan did was jab him. Granted, Gohan had completely caught Frieza off guard.

"Are you alright, Vegeta?"

His father shot red substances from his mouth to a waiting bark and swiped the remaining blood on his face with the back of his hand. "I see you've been keeping up with your training."

"Not really, just light exercise now and then," Gohan said as he laughed nervously.

"Hmph. Take care of things here. I'm going to get Bulma," Vegeta said, ready to head off.

"My dad is on his way, Vegeta. She's in capable hand."

Trunks could see his father's tensed muscles relaxed. "Damn, Kakarott. Playing hero to my woman," his father snorted.

Trunks floated quietly beside Gohan, unsure of how to acknowledge this Vegeta. When his father saw him, Trunks was expecting complete rejection. But contrary to his expectations, Trunks saw his father took in a deep breath and raised his fist to the air. Before he could react, Trunks felt the fist coming down, hitting his head, hard. "You foolish brat! What the hell do you think you're doing here?" His father turned to Gohan and glared at him accusingly. "What possessed you to bring him here?"

Trunks nursed the spot where his father clocked him. It was not meant to cause damage, if anything, it almost felt like punishment a parent would bestowed on their misbehaved children. "Father."

His father paused, his eyes narrowed. He raised his arm and extended his fingers. Circle of light spun from the center, creating a vortex of energy. "Who are you?"

Gohan spread his arms in a protective position, shielding Trunks from Vegeta, "Wait, Vegeta! I can explain, but first, we have to defeat Frieza." Gohan said, his head turning to the area where he had last seen Frieza.

"He's no son of mine! Where is my son?" Vegeta batted Gohan off to the side and came directly at him, causing Trunks to float back. His father had completely disregarded the threat that was heading their direction.

Trunks used his hands to create a distance between him and his father, attempting to calm the other Saiyan down. What could he say? What should he say? It was a fact that he had occupied his son's body, rather intentionally or not. It was clear that his current father was a father to only one Trunks and that was not him.

"Vegeta! This is not the time. He is your son, just not from this timeline!"

That caught his father's attention. "What do you mean, explain now!"

Before Gohan could answer, he disappeared. Both Trunks and Vegeta followed his movement and noticed that Gohan blocked the incoming ki blast with his ki of his own. He heard Gohan yelled out between blows. "I'll hold Frieza off for a bit. Trunks, explain everything to Vegeta!"

Explain? How could he explain something he did not understand? Time traveling was scientific, something he could grasp with numbers and equations. Switching minds and souls were simply beyond his comprehension. He could see veins started to surface on the older Saiyan.

"I'm Trunks from the future," Trunks finally said. He knew this sound absurd, even as he was saying it. He was surprised that Gohan and the others took his word.

"This is absurd!" His father growled, echoing Trunks' thought. "And which future were you from. You look the same age as my son!"

"Father, believe me when I say I'm as confused as you are. One minute I was fighting my father from the past and the next I saw a bright light shooting straight at me. From none other than my present self." Trunks had been calm. He allowed the torrent of events to sweep him along, but with this confession, he let out all his raw emotions bottled up since his arrival. Fear and uncertainly filled his voice. Suddenly embarrassed, Trunks quickly shut his mouth and looked away, avoiding his father's intense glare.

He heard his father groaned. Trunks looked up and saw Vegeta slid his hand down his face, pulling the flesh downward. "This cannot be happening. You traded spaces with my son? How is that possible? You're not even…" His father caught himself before finishing the sentence.

Not even…not even what? This has greatly piqued Trunks' curiosity above all the other mysteries.

Both Trunks and Vegeta heard a loud explosion to their right. Trunks was fully expecting Gohan has the upper hand, but judging from the scene, Gohan was the one thrown across the terrain. Within seconds, Frieza appeared before him, with a smirk in his face. "Come, my monkey prince, we have an overdue appointment."


A/N: Don't worry, I didn't forget about the present Trunks. He will show up soon, probably not the next chapter but definitely the one after.

Thanks for reading and please review!