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Different Upbringing (Book 3): Adjusting

Summary: Mirai Trunks and Mirai Natsuki brought peace to their timeline after defeating the wretched androids. Now, 8 years of peace later, trouble has begun to brew…in more ways than one. With Mirai Babidi brewing trouble, can M. Trunks and M. Natsuki save their fragile world?

By: Givihe

Chapter 1: 8 Years Later

-Mirai Timeline-

-Regular POV-

"It has been 27 years since the evil androids that terrorized our world first appeared and only 8 years since their miraculous defeat. And while many, many lives were lost during those horrific years, the light of good fortune is shining down on us once more!" A reporter commented with an enthusiastic and exaggerated tone of voice as he stood in front of the camera that was broadcasting this moment to those who were watching. "Since the androids' defeat, our big cities have been rebuilt to their former glory, and new measures have even been taken to make sure we never experience such terror again. This, all in thanks to the Briefs' family that prevailed the terror and struggled through the hopeless despair."

The camera, which had been solely focused on the enthusiastic male reporter, now panned out to include not only the reporter but, also M. Trunks and M. Natsuki who were standing nearby. The reporter moved to stand closer to them as he continued talking. "The heir to the Briefs' fortune, Trunks, and his beautiful wife, Natsuki, were the ones that saved our world from the wretched evil and freed us from our underground prisons. And their wonderous actions haven't stopped there! Oh, no!" M. Trunks gave a small smile at the reporter's enthusiasm as he wrapped an arm around M. Natsuki's shoulders, who gave a small smile as she leaned a touch into M. Trunks' side embrace. Both mentally sighing at the reporters lightly exaggerated talking.

"Trunks Briefs worked with his genius mother to rebuild Capsule Corporation and has helped in reinstating our economy while Natsuki Briefs aided in the rebuilding effort of our cities alongside another notable figure Videl Satan. It was Natsuki Briefs and Videl Satan that established the Continuity Accord that helped with the rebuilding effort and which has now evolved to help protect and minimize casualties should another threat ever come our way!" The reporter pivoted so that they were still facing the camera but were also slightly facing Trunks and Natsuki. "It is with our utmost gratitude that we, once again, thank both of you for your efforts in not only saving our world but also returning to us the life that was taken from us by those retched androids. Without either of you, humanity would surely have perished."

"It wasn't without struggle." M. Trunks replied calmly.

The reporter nodded as a sympathetic look came over his face. "Of course not." He agreed. "There have been reports of witnesses from some of the attacks that have talked about both of your abilities. Flying in the air. Blasts that appear in your hands from seemingly nowhere. Have you always been able to fight in such a way?"

"It was my uncle that taught us, actually." M. Natsuki answered as M. Trunks was trying to find the right words without exposing the truth behind their Saiyan heritage. M. Natsuki's face turned mildly serious as she focused on the next thing she was going to say, underhandedly changing the subject so further questions could be avoided and, therefore, forgotten. "I'm sure I speak for Trunks when I say this, but, as we got older and saw the damage that the androids were causing, we couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

"Spoken like a true hero." The reporter stated, nodding in solid agreement. "Your uncle was the one that taught the both of you, you say. Was he by chance the man that was reported very early on to be fighting the androids."

M. Natsuki nodded in confirmation as sadness briefly showed in her eyes before she pushed it down. "That was him. Uncle Gohan." She said, trying to sound proud instead of sad. Her eyes started to cloud over as memories filled her mind.

"That's right! I believe I remember hearing he was in a relationship with Videl Satan. Whatever happened to that young man?" The reporter questioned, oblivious to the emotion that was bubbling up.

M. Trunks gave M. Natsuki an encouraging smile as he tightened his arm around her shoulders in comfort as he himself could feel the same punch to the gut he was sure his wife was also feeling. "He, uh, he…circumed to the androids himself…years ago…" she replied in a lower voice, trailing off as the memory surfaced in her mind.

"Man, I can't believe myself!" Young M. Trunks exclaimed in frustration as he roughly sat on the rocky terrain that they had been training on. "What a joke!"

Young M. Natsuki smiled sympathetically from her spot. She had been sitting, watching as M. Gohan was coaching M. Trunks. "You'll get there, Trunks. You'll see!" she encouraged.

M. Gohan patted M. Natsuki's head as he sat between the two, stretching out his legs in front of him and using his single arm to prop him up. "Natsuki's right, Trunks. Relax. Forget about becoming a Super Saiyan for a while, huh." He suggested calmly.

"Mamma always said that pushing yourself can be just as bad as not training at all." M. Natsuki said as she kept her smile directed at M. Trunks. "Every day you're getting closer and closer. Before you know it, you'll be a Super Saiyan! You'll see!" M. Natsuki finished with her fist in the air as if she were victorious.

M. Gohan chuckled at his niece, sending her an appreciative glance. "Pushing yourself won't make it easier to become Super Saiyan, Trunks." He confirmed, basically reiterating M. Natsuki's previous statement.

M. Trunks grimaced before he looked at M. Gohan intently. "What am I doing wrong?" he demanded in frustration, unable to let it go. "You're my master, Gohan. You can tell me! Why can't I do it?"

"You can." M. Gohan replied, once again, calmly. "It's in there, Trunks. You just need to find the right motivation. That's all." M. Gohan's facial expression and tone shifted from calm and relaxed to tense and angry. "For me, it's simple. All I have to do is remember how the androids killed Piccolo and Krillin. Then I feel a horrible hurt, and the pain from that turns into rage. It's maddening." M. Gohan's tension and anger released a bit as he sighed. "I don't ever want it to happen again, something that unfair. And then suddenly, the dam breaks."

M. Trunks nodded as he turned his thoughts inward on what would be the better motivation for him. M. Natsuki looked down at her hands in her lap with a sullen look on her face. Her mind turned to the recent memories of M. Gohan training her alone. She winced as she remembered feeling her power explode beyond what she was able to control…all this just from the painful memories she held herself. It had been quite a while since M. Gohan had last trained her to try to turn Super Saiyan herself. After that last incident, M. Gohan thought it was too dangerous for her and instead changed training to focus more on improving the skills she already had. Admittedly, a part of it was M. Gohan being over-protective of her, but even M. Gohan himself was at a loss of how to help his dear niece. He had never seen a power level explode so violently, creating a magnitude of power that was hard, if not impossible, to control.

M. Gohan seemed to pick up on what M. Natsuki was thinking pretty quickly and nudged her shoulder gently, causing her to look up. "Maybe we can start up again. Sound good?" he offered. Despite her sullen thoughts, M. Natsuki put on a small, nervous smile and nodded. "Maybe all you need is to work through it, huh? I could give you some tips."

Before anything else could be said between the small group, explosions erupted in the city just below where they were currently relaxing. M. Gohan and M. Trunks jumped up instantly, their muscles tense and ready as they analyzed the situation that had begun unfolding before them. M. Natsuki was a little more hesitant as she got to her feet and peaked from her spot behind M. Gohan.

"Darn those two!" M. Trunks exclaimed in anger and frustration.

M. Gohan grimaced as a scowl was beginning to form on his face. "This is ridiculous." He growled angrily. "Those people didn't even stand a chance."

Without another word, M. Gohan silently increased his power level as his ki began swirling around him. M. Natsuki looked at her uncle in nervousness as she saw M. Gohan in his Super Saiyan state. Her eyes unconsciously flickered to M. Gohan's missing arm and then to the explosions that were continuing in the city. "Uncle Gohan, you can't go!" she cried out fearfully, tears forming in her eyes.

M. Gohan kept his eyes trained on the city as he tried to pinpoint the androids' location. "Listen, both of you." He ordered, his voice taking on a hard tone. "No matter what happens, stay here."

M. Trunks was the first to react to M. Gohan's words, an argumentative glint in his eyes. "What? Are you crazy?" he demanded in disagreement. "No way! I can't let you fight those two alone!"

"Trunks is right!" M. Natsuki agreed quickly. Her eyes briefly flickered down before looking up to her uncle once more. "Trunks and I may not be as strong as you, but we can help you!"

M. Gohan finally took his eyes off the city and the damage the androids were starting to cause. His eyes landed on M. Trunks first before landing on M. Natsuki. He internally winced as he saw the raw emotion in M. Natsuki's eyes. M. Videl had told him in passing moments the times where she or his mother had to wake M. Natsuki from her nightmares as she called out for her mother. The last thing M. Gohan wanted to do was to cause his niece more pain, but he was already in an impossible situation.

"Listen, I'm a lot more vulnerable when the two of you are with me." M. Gohan explained. His voice was still a touch harsh, but he needed to get his point across.

M. Trunks was still argumentative. "But I'm much stronger this time! You said it yourself. Even Nat agrees." He urged. "Come on! I can't let you fight alone with your injury! Please, Gohan, take me with you!"

M. Gohan sighed as he put on a fake, deceiving smile. There was a brief pause as M. Gohan sighed. "Alright, Trunks, you win. Let's go get them." He replied, getting a victorious smirk from M. Trunks. However, before M. Trunks could do anything, M. Gohan moved his hand quicker than M. Natsuki's tear-filled eyes were able to follow and slammed into the back of M. Trunks' neck. M. Gohan caught M. Trunks before he hit the ground, setting him gently on the ground.

"Sorry about that, Trunks. But I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you." M. Gohan voiced his apology aloud in a soft voice. "This is my battle, for now, little brother."

M. Natsuki wrapped her arms around her middle in an attempt to comfort herself. Her eyes closed tightly as she tried to fight off the tears, to be strong just like her mother always told her, but this time it wasn't working. Something about this situation seemed final to her, and she just couldn't figure out why. "Please, Uncle Gohan." She pleaded in a near-unhearable voice.

M. Gohan sighed as he patted her head. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." He said softly. M. Gohan lifted her chin up, causing M. Natsuki's eyes to open. "Why don't you go find the rescue squad and let them know what's going on? You know where the attacks started, so you'll be able to guide them initially."

M. Natsuki swallowed nervously. "Y-You're sure you'll be alright?" she asked. "Promise? Promise you won't leave me like Mamma did?"

"Promise." M. Gohan replied softly. Although he didn't want to lie to his young niece, M. Gohan couldn't stand to see her cry.

Nodding her head tearfully, M. Natsuki did as her uncle suggested and took off towards the nearest underground base. It didn't take long for M. Natsuki to find the base, and those there took her warning with urgency as they scrambled around to get their gear. As M. Natsuki stood there watching them prepare, she could only wish that M. Videl was there to tell her it would be alright. Except, M. Videl wasn't there. She was back home on Mt. Pazu watching over a sickly M. Pan.

By the time the rescue squad had gotten their gear together and had been able to get halfway to the city, it had begun to rain. M. Natsuki took off from the group without a word to them as she felt changes in power levels. As she quickly flew to where she had last seen M. Gohan, all M. Natsuki could tell herself was that his power level was low because he was exhausted. Her mind continued to delude herself in other possibilities why her uncle's power level was non-existent, not wanting to believe what the truth was.

When M. Natsuki arrived at where she had felt M. Gohan's energy drop, she landed behind a partially destroyed building just in case the androids were still around. However, it didn't take long for M. Natsuki to realize that they had long since left as the only thing she could hear was the rain falling to the ground. M. Natsuki instantly felt the moment M. Trunks' power level spiked, and she rushed to where it was, finding her friend kneeling on the ground and shaking.

"Trunks?" she called out nervously. Between the rain and M. Trunks' figure, she couldn't see what was in front of him.

M. Trunks didn't respond to her. It almost seemed as if he didn't realize she was even there. His shaking seemed to increase before he started yelling. As his yelling increased in volume, M. Trunks' hair changed from purple to yellow and, had she been able to see his eyes, M. Natsuki would have witnessed his eyes turning from blue to teal. When his screaming ceased, the very familiar form of the Super Saiyan was before her. Dread filled M. Natsuki's belly as he fists clutched her sides. Her teeth clenched in fear as she tried to push the thoughts away.

"T-Trunks?" M. Natsuki called again. When M. Trunks didn't answer again, M. Natsuki took a step forward as she increased the volume of her voice. "T-Trunks? Please…answer me!"

"Those…monsters got him." M. Trunks finally spoke in a low, anger-filled tone.

M. Natsuki gulped. "G-Got who?" she asked even though she already knew the answer. Instead of answering, M. Trunks got to his feet and moved aside for M. Natsuki to see. Before her eyes was M. Gohan's prone form lying in the mud as the rain poured down on him relentlessly. M. Natsuki shook her head violently. "No. No!" M. Natsuki rushed past M. Trunks before falling to her knees beside her beloved uncle. "H-He's just passed out…exhausted. J-Just like at that amusement part. H-He'll be fine when I get him back to Grandma and Videl."

M. Trunks' fell to his knees beside M. Natsuki as his power flickered out as his body wasn't used to it. He felt bad at how he broke the news to his friend as he placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Nat, please." He urged in an emotion-filled voice. It was already hard enough to see his master's dead body but to see his friend in such a distraught state was even harder. "He knocked me out before he faced them. You had to have seen it as you weren't there when I woke up." M. Natsuki had tears running down her face, but they quickly intermingled with the rain that was falling on them. Her hands were gripping M. Gohan's gi to the point her knuckles were turning white. "H-He always told me to look after you…if anything happened to him."

"That doesn't mean anything!" M. Natsuki yelled in anguish as she hit M. Trunks' hand away before grabbing onto M. Gohan's gi once more, starting to shake his lifeless body. "Please, Gohan, don't' leave me! You're all I have left!" Sobs overtook M. Natsuki's voice as the words became harder to understand. "Y-You promised me!"

M. Trunks felt the tears gathering in his eyes just as seeing his friend in such sorrow. Moving closer to her side, M. Trunks carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulders and reached his other hand to turn her towards him. "Nat, please." He muttered as he swallowed hard. "He doesn't have a life force…I can't feel his ki anymore."

M. Natsuki struggled in M. Trunks' grip. "Don't call me that! Only Uncle Gohan got to call me that!" she yelled angrily before quickly deflating. "H-He's all I had left."

M. Trunks grasped her shoulders firmly and turned her to face him. "Natsuki, look at me!" he demanded. M. Natsuki did as he asked, her tearful eyes meeting his equally sorrow-fulled eyes. "You have Chichi, Videl, and Pan. Even my mom and don't forget about me! You're not alone, we're here for you!" M. Trunks tried to give her a small smile, but both knew it was empty. "It'll be alright. I promise."

Hearing the last two words re-ignited anger in M. Natsuki. "You don't understand anything! You never will!" she cried out, hitting his hands away from her. "Don't act like you know what you're talking about!"

The reporter sighed, returning M. Natsuki to the reality before her. "That's a shame. To see a such a brave young man be taken down so early. He saved a lot of lives, I'm sure." He replied.

M. Trunks nodded in agreement. "He did." He agreed. "And we continued his legacy. We got stronger. Trained through the years before we were able to finally defeat the androids and bring peace. That's all Gohan had wanted."

There was a brief silence out of respect for the fallen hero before the reporter smiled at the two. "I'm sure many of our viewers are curious, but would you mind sharing how you were able to defeat the androids?" he asked, eagerness in his own voice.

M. Trunks gave an awkward laugh as M. Natsuki put a fake smile on her face, hiding her internal distress. "Both of our families have a history with martial arts." M. Natsuki began to explain, a knowing smile being shared between her and M. Trunks. "I guess you could say that it runs in our blood."

"Both sides, huh? I wasn't aware that Bulma Briefs was a martial artist." The reporter replied in slight confusion.

"Uh…No, she wasn't." M. Trunks answered, giving an awkward smile as the memories of Vegeta came to mind. "Mom did know plenty of martial artists, though. And my father was a real master at it himself. He was one of the first that died due to the androids."

The reporter nodded as he thought. "Hmm. That's a shame we never got to know the man that stole Bulma Briefs' heart and so quickly after that break-up with that baseball star, Yamcha." He commented, getting an awkward laugh from M. Trunks and M. Natsuki. Both thinking to themselves how irritated Vegeta would be if reporters were in his face demanding answers to their questions. The reporter turned his focus to M. Natsuki. "And how about you?"

M. Natsuki laughed lightly. "You'll find mine a lot more interesting." She said, getting an eye roll from M. Trunks, causing M. Natsuki to chuckle lightly. "My mother died when I was really young, but my grandfather was Son Goku. He was the champion of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament."

"Amazing!" The reporter said in awe before he let his eyes flicker to the camera. "You heard it here, folks!" The reporter turned back to M. Trunks and M. Natsuki. "While we're on the subject of the World Martial Arts Tournament, we are actually on site of the reconstruction that has been taking place to re-initiate the World Martial Arts Tournament. It's my understanding that it was the two of you that started to initiate the idea and funded the project."

"Actually, it was mentioned during a family dinner ironically by Hercule Satan, the last champion before the androids began their assault." M. Trunks corrected. The reporter nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Mom was sharing some stories with us about how much fun it used to be and many of the fights she witnessed, especially the ones with Goku." M. Trunks and M. Natsuki shared a brief glance as he continued talking. "Natsuki and I contemplated it for quite a while. While martial arts has always been apart of who we are, we knew that the public would be a lot more hesitant about the idea because of the androids."

"What changed your mind?" The reporter asked, genuinely curious.

M. Natsuki couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. "It was our son." She answered briefly before explaining more in detail. "Our son, Goshan, grew up with his sister hearing all the stories we heard about Gohan, my grandfather Goku, and other family friends that were also martial artists. We thought it would be a disservice to them if we didn't tell those stories as we believe that is how we keep their memory alive."

"Naturally." The reporter agreed.

"Goshan was named after Gohan, in memory for him." M. Trunks continued to explain. "Even though Goshan will never be able to physically meet his namesake, Nat and I told him stories so he could at least know Gohan through our memories. It sparked Goshan's desire to be as strong as Gohan once was. He wants to be able to protect his family and others just like Gohan did."

"It was Goshan that encouraged restarting the World Martial Arts Tournament." M. Natsuki explained. "And it got us thinking. If Goshan is interested in the possibility, then who's to say that others aren't interested either. It would be wrong for us to assume what the rest of the public thinks."

"So, we talked with Hercule." M. Trunks added in. "We figured we'd start at the martial arts school that Hercule has started up in recent years. Hercule hasn't gotten a ton of students, but there is a good handful that is learning. Each with different goals. Some are there because they felt helpless during the androids and want to protect themselves and others while other students are there because they were already training in martial arts beforehand, and they want to start learning again."

"It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this." The reporter commented as a humbling expression came over his face. "I'm not going to lie and say the idea didn't scare me at first because it did. But, and I'm sure I speak for others when I say this, why should we let the androids control us. Even though they are destroyed, the fear is still there. This is another step to vanquishing that fear and moving on."

"Exactly." M. Trunks agreed whole-heartedly. "With the help of Hercule and my mother, we've been planning out how this will end up happening. This tournament will be a sort of test run. If it succeeds, then the operation of the tournament will be placed in Hercule's hands from here on out. Though, I do want the public to know that attendance is optional. If it's going to trigger too many memories, then please don't show up. Your mental health is more important."

"Well said." The reporter said before a wide smile came over his face. "Is there a chance we'll see the two of you in the ring? Give us a little glimpse of how you two defeated those horrible monsters?"

M. Trunks and M. Natsuki exchanged another knowing look. "I don't think you could keep us away!" M. Trunks said, indirectly confirming the scenario.

The reporter laughed outright. "That's what I like to hear!" he exclaimed happily. "And from what I hear, it'll be impossible to keep your children away as well. Little Goshan seems like quite the fighter."

M. Natsuki smiled at the mention of her children. "While I'm sure that our children would love to participate, there isn't going to be a children's division for this tournament. Participants will be required to be 18 years and older." She explained, noticing the surprised look on the reporter's face. In past tournmanets, participants of any age had been allowed to participate. "Since I work with the Community Accord, one of the top concerns of the people are safety and stability. Especially for the children. When we were considering the idea of re-establishing the World Martial Arts Tournament, I took the idea to the Community Accord and it was agreed that children wouldn't be allowed for this tournament. Everyone felt that the tournament was already going to unnerve some people. Allowing children to participate would only worsen the response."

The reporter nodded, a solemn look on his face at the mention. "That's understandable."

"Hercule is working on something for the kids to enjoy, though." M. Trunks added quickly. "We didn't want them to feel left out. It's not all concrete yet, but children interested in martial arts will be able to meet some of the participants. Hercule is working on something for the kids too, from what I heard." The reporter's excitement had returned in hopes to brighten the mood, especially for the viewers. "And hopefully if this year's tournament goes over well, then the children's division will return next year."

"Great, great! Well, we look forward to seeing the two of you at the tournament." The reporter said before turning his body completely towards the camera once more. "Also, with us here is the previous champion of the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament, Hercule Satan." The reporter pivoted his body in the opposite direction of M. Trunks and M. Natsuki to face M. Hercule, who had been standing on the other side of the reporter. "Hercule, how are you doing?"

M. Hercule looked nervous for a split second before chuckling it off. "Oh, …uh, good. Good!" he answered quickly.

"As the previous world champion, how is the tournament going to unfold considering everything that has occurred?" The reporter questioned as interest showed in his eyes.

M. Hercule briefly connected eyes with M. Trunks and M. Natsuki, who nodded for him to continue. While M. Hercule was still the same old man he always was, the terror that the androids caused had made him forget the confidence he used to have in front of the camera. While M. Hercule's first few comments were shrouded in nervousness, the nervousness quickly faded and was replaced by the exuberance that M. Hercule had once been known for.

M. Trunks chuckled as he placed his hand on his hips. They had moved a short distance away from the camera as their interview had concluded. "Well, Hercule seems to be enjoying this." He said in amusement. "And here he was all nervous this morning."

M. Natsuki crossed her arms over her chest as she turned her attention to the almost rebuilt tournament arena behind the reporter and M. Hercule. "Yeah…he's doing great." She muttered in a distracted and apathetic tone.

The tone of M. Natsuki's voice caused M. Trunks to shift his attention. A look of concern and worry came over M. Trunks' face. M. Natsuki wasn't looking in his direction, so it gave M. Trunks the chance to look at her facial expression and noticed the sadness that was lingering behind the forced disinterested look that she was trying to use to hide what she was really feeling.

"Natsuki…" M. Trunks said softly, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know you can talk to me."

"I'm fine, Trunks." M. Natsuki replied tersely.

M. Trunks sighed. "It was the mention of Gohan, wasn't it?" he asked as he grimaced. "I thought you were over all that."

M. Natsuki gritted her teeth. "It's nothing. Please, just leave it alone." She said in a more firm tone, pleading for the conversation to stop.

"You can't just keep it all internal, Natsuki." M. Trunks said. He was trying to get her to open up, but it came off as a criticism that made M. Natsuki tenser. "Was it the mention of his death? Or a memory? Or-"

M. Natsuki turned to face M. Trunks and had a hard look in her eyes. "Can we not do this here?" she questioned angrily. Her arms had tightened around her chest, and her hands were in fists but were hidden by her arms. Onlookers couldn't see their eyes or facial expressions, so it seemed as if they were having a normal conversation.

"And what is 'this' exactly?" M. Trunks questioned in reply. "I'm worried about you."

"You're psychoanalyzing me!" M. Natsuki interrupted before he could continue. She wanted so badly to throw her hands in the air in frustration but knew the move would attract more attention. The last thing she wanted to hear or to be talked about is gossip about their relationship, regardless of how true or not it was. "Everyone has their off days, Trunks. Just let me have mine. Alright?"

M. Trunks swallowed the growl that threatened to come up his throat. This had not been the first time they had had this 'conversation' before. And much like this one was starting to turn out, the others almost always ended in an argument with each other sleeping in separate rooms. "An off day?" he questioned rhetorically. "If that's what this truly was about, then I wouldn't have said anything, to begin with. But, Natsuki, you've been like this for a while. Mom has started to notice, and it wouldn't surprise me if our children have started to pick up on it too. We're putting on an act for the press to believe everything's fine!"

M. Natsuki crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not an act, Trunks." She said before motioning to what was around them. "Everything is going just fine. The androids were defeated, and the world has been returning to normal. It's not an act."

"The world's fine. That's not what I was talking about, and you know it, Natsuki. Stop deflecting the conversation." M. Trunks accused as he tried to keep his voice at a normal volume.

"I'm not deflecting anything!" M. Natsuki argued in frustration.

"Yes, you are!" M. Trunks retorted quickly before he sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose briefly before he met M. Natsuki's eyes once more. By looking into her eyes, M. Trunks could see how tired she was, the irritation that was coming out in her voice, and the sadness. But, there was something else in her eyes that Trunks just couldn't pinpoint at that moment. "Look, Natsuki, I don't want to start a fight. I'm just worried about you." M. Natsuki turned her head away, but not before M. Trunks could see the slight flash of guilt popping into her eyes. "You're easily irritable, and you almost always seem to be in this…bad mood or something. Like something is always plaguing your thoughts, and I can't understand it." M. Trunks placed a hand on her shoulder that slowly moved up to caress her cheek, his thumb brushing the bags under her eyes that showed her lack of sleep that was well covered by the make-up. "You can't sleep through the night. I've lost count how many times you've woken from nightmares in the past few weeks alone. And I've felt you get out of bed when you thought I was still asleep. You don't come back into the bed, and I either find you in the lab, training, or sleeping in another room." M. Natsuki flinched lightly at hearing the blunt truth from her husband's mouth. She didn't do what he claimed to hurt him, she just didn't want both of them to be exhausted. "You're training yourself hard in your free time on top of all the meetings and work you're doing with the Continuity Accord. There are nights I've caught you not getting any sleep at all." M. Trunks firmly grabbed his wife's shoulders. "Natsuki, you're going to kill yourself if you keep this up. Do you understand?"

M. Natsuki had her eyes shut as she answered, unable to see the emotion in his eyes because she knew it would break her if she saw it. "I get it, Trunks." She said in a low, defeated tone.

M. Trunks sighed. This conversation was getting nowhere; that much was obvious to him. At this point, she was only telling him what he wanted to hear. And, while he understood where she was coming from, it only made M. Trunks worry more as he began questioning what was plaguing her to make her act so disconnected and not herself. It frustrated him to no end that he was practically watching his wife's self-destruction, and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing that M. Natsuki would allow him to do anyway. "Natsuki." He said as M. Natsuki's eyes opened. "I love you with all my heart. That's never going to change." M. Trunks paused for a moment before continuing. "If you need to talk, I'm always here."

It was silent between the two for a brief moment. "Maybe later." M. Natsuk finally spoke in a low tone. "The Continuity Accord is having a meeting in 20 minutes. I'll be late if I don't leave now."

M. Trunks briefly grimaced but shook it off before M. Natsuki could see it. "Alright." He murmured in reply before he pulled M. Natsuki into a hug. M. Natsuki was stiff for a moment before she forced herself to relax, wrapping her arms lightly around his lower back and resting her cheek on his chest. M. Trunks breathed in deeply as he rested his chin on her head. There had to be a way for him to break through that stubborn head of hers. "I love you."

"I love you, too." M. Natsuki said softly. She truly did mean it, but even to her, it seemed mechanical. Automatic.

"…Any progress on how it's coming along?" Silence met the ears of those sitting in the small room. "Natsuki?"

"Huh?" M. Natsuki questioned as a light touch jolted her out of her thoughts. From the corner of her eye, M. Natsuki could practically feel the concerned gaze of Videl from across the table. Others at the table seemed either mildly irritated or bored even. M. Natsuki ran her hand over the left side of her face before meeting eyes with the man that had been talking. "Sorry…it was a…rough night."

The man nodded as a sympathetic look came to his face. "I still get those nights sometimes, too. I get it." He said.

The Continuity Accord had been formed initially as a committee that helped in organizing the rebuilding effort, started by M. Natsuki and M. Trunks. Pretty early on, M. Natsuki had taken over the project herself as M. Trunks refocused his attention on helping his mother rebuild Capsule Corporation's reputation, something that required a lot of M. Trunks' attention. As rebuilding was coming to a close, and governments were coming back into play, many concerns were made by survivors and leaders.

Rebuilding had created problems in relocating survivors that had been stranded from their original homes and from their friends and family. Many had been uprooted by the androids, and most had been living in underground camps that were located in train tunnels or stations that had quickly become vulnerable structurally speaking. The androids had left most of the country lands alone, but the lack of need to bring food to the cities had caused many farmers to stop producing as much food as they had before the androids' destruction. Not to mention, being cut off from the cities had reduced their access to certain needs, including healthcare, so some farmers had perished due to disease or injury. Re-establishing economy and jobs had been a massive struggle initially, but it was as the job creation was coming back when the mental health problems really became apparent. Some individuals couldn't work in certain industries due to the androids' destruction, leaving them struggling to find a way to provide for themselves and their families.

In response to this, the rebuilding committee had quickly evolved into the Continuity Accord. The Continuity Accord shifted its focus from temporary help in recovering from the androids to becoming a permanent fixture around the world that focused on long-term solutions to the concerns brought up by the survivors. People that had been apart of the rescue effort during the androids' crisis were indoctrinated into the Continuity Accord as they saw the damage first hand and had a better idea of the mindsets that many of the survivors were in.

The Continuity Accord has many groups within it that focused on the different concerns brought up by survivors, including healthcare resources, food distribution, relocation, and reunion efforts. It became apparent that if the androids had been a threat, what's to say that another threat couldn't arise. So, a group dedicated to the safety and prevention of future threats was also added to the Continuity Accord. Among these groups were representatives for the four major cities that spoke for the survivors/citizens in their region, including the major city and any nearby villages or homes in the country.

M. Natsuki's focus had shifted to the safety and prevention concerns as her innate interest and ability in the technological realm, thanks to tinkering with M. Bulma, had given her many ideas on how to improve the security around the world. M. Natsuki's first act in regard to these concerns was to install proper, structurally sound bunkers that could house the citizens in case of emergency. Since some rebuilding was still taking place, integrating the new bunkers had been relatively easy. A response group had been developed after that, similar to how the rescue squad had operated. There were multiple 'bases' set up in the major cities for quick reaction times instead of a singular base like the rescue squad had. Each base was linked to each other for easy communication, with the central command being the Continuity Accord. Each rescue squad was integrated with each cities' police and emergency responders, proving daily jobs as well as leadership in crisis in case the central command was not quickly contactable. To better assist potential threats, M. Natsuki also had a universal camera system installed in the cities. These cameras made recognizance of potential threats easier and safer as the cameras could detach from their locations and move around if necessary, though proper clearance had to be made to do so. However, the camera system was still being integrated, and the respective rescue squads were still learning the technology.

M. Natsuki briefly shook her head. "What was it you were asking me?" she asked in a mildly embarrassed tone.

Regardless, the representative from North City smiled reassuringly. "The camera systems have been implemented in North City and are running smoothly so far. And I know that the other cities are currently still working kinks out, but I was curious about the development of the warning system you had mentioned a couple meetings ago. There have been many citizens that had mentioned they'd feel a lot safer if they would be able to have some sort of warning."

"Right." M. Natsuki replied. Her hands clasped together in a mindless motion in front of her as her fingers intertwined. As she continued talking, however, her fingers continued to move, fidgeting as if they needed something to do. "Bulma and I are still working on it. We have a prototype that has been launched, and it is connected to the computer in her lab. She's still doing some diagnostic tests on it, and we're going to be testing it soon. When initial testing is done, I'm going to want to do preliminary tests with the camera systems as well, see how well they work together, and work out any other kinks."

The North City representative nodded. "Sounds great! Please let us know how the test comes out." He replied, content with the status update that M. Natsuki gave. The other representatives and members also voiced their agreements. "Well, everything else seems to be in order, so if there are any other problems that come up, we can send a message. Is everyone in agreement?" There was a chorus of nods and verbal agreements as the meeting began to break up. The North City representative stood up and walked over to M. Natsuki, who was still sitting. "And Natsuki." M. Natsuki looked up. The representative placed a hand on her shoulder, briefly squeezing it, silently showing his support. "Please, go get some rest…maybe take some time off. You've done so much for all of us already. No need to stretch yourself so thin."

A loud laugh came from behind the North City Representative to reveal an older man, just a little older than M. Videl, that was in charge of concerns of food distribution. He had worked alongside M. Videl in the rescue squad and had been a familiar face to M. Natsuki when she was younger. "Besides, you're going to be in the tournament, right?" he questioned as he joined the other two. "I saw you around a lot when you were a kid and always seemed to miss the action. Finally, I'll get to see what you can do." He gave M. Natsuki a playful smile as he playfully slapped M. Natsuki's back. "Got to be top of your game for that, right?"

M. Natsuki gave a light laugh and smiled as she looked down briefly before meeting their eyes. "I hear you, Caff." She conceded as she put her hands in the air. "Rest. No working myself thin."

The North City representative chuckled while Caff nodded in agreement. "That's what I like to hear. I'm looking forward to the tournament!" Caff said as he started walking towards the door. Halfway there, Caff turned around, so he was walking backwards. "As Scissors said, you've done so much for everyone already. You need to take care of yourself once and a while!"

"It's Sisor, Caff!" The North City Representative corrected with mild irritation, though light-hearted amusement could be seen in Sisor's eyes.

Caff smirked before turning back around as he shrugged. "Eh…sounds the same to me." He called just as he exited the door.

Sisor sighed as he shook his head. "Have a good afternoon, Natsuki. I have a…negotiation to deal with." He said as he picked up his bag. "And remember what I said, don't stretch yourself too thin."

"A negotiation, sure." M. Videl said as she came to stand beside M. Natsuki. "Good luck with that, Sisor. Once Caff sets his mind to something, it's quite hard to it…impossible even."

Sisor, who was walking to the door, raised his hand in a fist and shook it in the air. "I'll find a way! You'll see!" he called before he exited the room.

M. Videl chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, they act like children." She said. M. Natsuki mumbled in agreement as she was putting her notes from the meeting into the bag she had grabbed on her way here. M. Videl raised an eyebrow as she watched her niece's despondent behavior, a complete opposite display to mere minutes ago. "With the androids gone, everyone is a lot more relaxed." When M. Natsuki gave another mumble in agreement, M. Videl came to stand beside a sitting M. Natsuki. M. Videl placed her hand on the table rather firmly to get her niece's attention.

M. Natsuki paused in what she was doing and looked at M. Videl with a questioning look on her face. "Something wrong?" she prompted.

M. Videl grimaced as she crossed her arms. It was a familiar stance to M. Natsuki as she had seen her aunt do the same to M. Pan when her cousin here and there. "That's something I should be asking you." She stated in a firm tone as concern entered M. Videl's features, her stance relaxing slightly. "Natsuki…you never space out like that. Are you alright?"

"Probably just tired." M. Natsuki replied quickly, lowering her eyes, so she wasn't making eye contact. M. Natuski knew that if she kept eye contact long enough, it wouldn't take M. Videl long at all to figure out just how much M. Natsuki wasn't admitting to. "As I told Sisor, it was a rough night…that's all."

M. Videl pulled the chair beside M. Natuski out and sat down. "That's all, huh?" she echoed as she crossed her arms while leaning back against the chair, an eyebrow-raising in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe, Natsuki." M. Natsuki looked as if she was about to protest when she caught the look on M. Videl's face. "Your nightmares have come back, haven't they?"

M. Natsuki stiffened briefly before her shoulders fell forward in defeat. "How…"

M. Videl leaned forward a bit, her arms resting on her knees. "You tend to forget that I witnessed the many you had as a young girl. I recognize the signs." She informed. M. Videl shrugged. "I get them too. So…I guess personal experience helps too.

M. Natsuki could feel how concerned M. Videl was about her, but the concern almost felt like pity to her. Like she was something broken that she was trying to fix. Suddenly irritated, M. Natsuki stood up and roughly grabbed her bag. "I don't want to talk about it, alright." She said with an edge to her voice.

"Natsuki, you can't keep it all internalize. It only makes it worse." M. Videl argued in a concerned tone. "You can talk to me. I helped Gohan through a lot of his demons." M. Videl sighed. "Or, you can even talk to Trunks."

The suggestion of talking to her husband made M. Natsuki grit her teeth. "And have him tell me to get over it again?" she asked in a harsh tone. However, under the anger, M. Videl could hear the hurt tone in her voice. "No, thanks. I-" M. Natsuki sighed as she turned to face M. Videl again, an apologetic look on her face. "I'll figure something out, Videl. I'll be alright. I promise."

M. Videl stood up as M. Natsuki was making her way out of the room. "You know, I remember hearing the exact same words from Gohan." She said, getting M. Natsuki to stop in her tracks, frozen in place as her muscles began to tense once more. "I can see now that Gohan taught you more than just how to defend yourself. It seems you've picked up his coping habits as well."

"Videl-" M. Natsuki started to argue.

"No, Natsuki." M. Videl interrupted, coming to stand directly in front of her. M. Videl had a determined look on her face, but hints of desperation could be seen as well. "If you're going to act like Gohan did, then I'm going to play hardball with you. I saw what Gohan did to himself and look at what happened." M. Videl crossed her arms. "He isolated himself, deluding himself that it was better for everyone else if he worked things out on his own. He threw himself into training and fighting those androids because he claimed it helped him work through some of his anger and guilt. Kept his mind so busy with everything and everyone that he barely had time to care for himself, telling himself it was for our safety." M. Videl grabbed M. Natsuki's shoulders tightly. "Look what that mind frame did to him, Natsuki. You saw it first hand! And if you keep going down this road, you're going to end up dead just like him."

"The androids killed Uncle Gohan!" M. Natsuki yelled in anger, eyes shutting tightly as she desperately wanted to escape.

"They landed the direct blow. You're correct there." M. Videl admitted sadly. "But Gohan was drowning in his own emotions and the loss he had experienced that he didn't use that brain I knew he had." M. Videl sighed as she dropped her hands from M. Natsuki's shoulders. "Sometimes, the hardest thing you can do is admitting that you need help. Gohan didn't do that. He took everything on his own shoulders. That's what everyone that had been around him had done. Perhaps if he had worked through the guilt he felt about your mother or even put aside the pain he felt at watching the androids kill Krillin and Piccolo, Gohan would have realized that what he should have done was working with others to solve the problem. Perhaps then the time machine would have been done faster as Gohan could have helped Bulma put it together or even find the parts she needed quicker due to his strength and intelligence. Perhaps…he'd even still be alive." Both had a few tears brewing in their eyes as M. Videl's voice hitched at the last sentence. "Natsuki, I watched Gohan practically throw himself to death. I'm not going to watch you do the same thing. Not when you have a choice."

M. Natsuki felt defeated and beaten down. Her head fell from the strong faux look she put on as a mask to the vulnerability that was inside, her eyes falling to the floor. "I can't sleep." She finally muttered after some heavy silence; it was practically suffocating to her. "Either the nightmares wake me up frequently during the night, or my thoughts are racing when I'm trying to fall asleep. Either way, I end up getting out of bed, waking up Trunks in the process."

"Why don't you talk to him about it?" M. Videl asked curiously, falling into the therapist role that she had taken on as a profession after the androids' defeat.

M. Natsuki gave a scoff of a laugh. "You don't think I've tried?" she exclaimed in exasperation. "The only time it's ever brought up is when I wake him up in the middle of the night. He's tired, and I'm…it just turns into a big fight with him saying something along the lines of it happened so long ago, and I should be over it already. So, I leave the room and either train since I can't sleep or try to sleep in a different room." M. Natsuki leaned against the wall, her face cluing M. Videl in on how tired she really was. "Trunks wants everything to be happy, and I…I just can't do that for him."

"Can't or won't?" M. Videl questioned.

"Is there a difference?" M. Natsuki asked in a scoff.

M. Videl gave her niece a long, hard look. "Natsuki, when was the last time you let yourself be happy? Truly happy. With no worries or what-ifs or regrets?" she asked. Without even a word from M. Natsuki, M. Videl had the answer just by looking at M. Natsuki's face and in her eyes. Seeing the answer on her niece's face almost brought M. Videl to tears herself. M. Videl knew from M. Gohan how the start of M. Natsuki's life had unfolded and knew that those hardships had followed the young girl. "You don't remember, do you?"

"So, what?" M. Natsuk said in a tone that made it seem as if she didn't care, irritation beginning to creep into her voice once more. "It's not like my life has been all that great. There's always something going wrong."

"That's an excuse if I've ever heard one." M. Videl disagreed. "Even when everything seems to be going wrong around you, there is always something positive. Big or small, it's there." M. Videl gave M. Natsuki a smile on her face. "Even during the hell that was the androids, Pan was that bright light for Gohan and I. A little piece of the life we had originally dreamed for ourselves. And it gave us purpose. Purpose of finding ways to make her future possible. To make it safer." M. Videl put her hands on M. Natsuki's shoulders once more. "Even after you lost your mother in such a horrible way, you gained more family in the form of Gohan and ChiChi. Later joined by Bulma, Trunks, myself, and Pan. And now, you and Trunks have your two beautiful children that adore the both of you. Natsuki, I can see you're afraid that you'll lose all that again. But by keeping all of us at arm's length, you're only going to lose us anyway."

M. Natsuki didn't reply as she contemplated what M. Videl had told her. In the back of her mind, M. Natsuki knew this to be true. After all, as M. Videl said, she has watched it happen to M. Gohan first hand. But, for whatever reason, she just couldn't move past it. Couldn't let go of the pain she felt when she had lost her parents, M. Katsu, and her uncle. The images of the daily destruction the androids had made, seeing children torn apart from their parents, only reminded M. Natsuki of what she had lost. Even now, with the androids gone, seeing families being rebuilt and happy once more was like rubbing salt into a once again open wound. It hurt more than she would ever admit.

"Natsuki, I just want you to think about what I've said." M. Videl stated gently as she released M. Natsuki's shoulders and took a small step back. "I know that what you've been through will never completely leave your mind. That's unfortunately how PTSD works. I know, because I have my own. But it doesn't have to rule your life. You have to find a way to move past it. You'll have your bad days and your good days. Strive to have more good days than bad."

M. Natsuki sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "I…I'll try." She murmured, not truly sure if she meant it or if she was just saying it to get M. Videl off her back.

M. Videl gave a small smile even though M. Natsuki probably didn't see it. "That's all I ask." She said. "I know Trunks can be a bit…hard-headed, to say the least. From what Bulma says, he gets that from his father a lot of the time. So, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. Alright?"

"Yeah." M. Natsuki murmured again in reply.

"I'll see you later, Natsuki." M. Videl said softly before exiting the room, leaving M. Natsuki in the conference room alone. M. Natsuki's eyes lingered on the seat M. Videl had been sitting on as her fingers fidgeted aimlessly with the sounds of the last people leaving being her only company.

It was getting dark by the time M. Natsuki arrived home. Capsule Corporation building had come a far way from the debilitated state it had been in during the androids' terror. The building was among the first buildings that were rebuilt after the androids' defeat and stood as a symbol to survivors around the world of the start of a life free of fear and terror. It remained no secret to survivors that this was the home M. Trunks had grown up in during the androids' terror and was now the home to M. Trunks and M. Natsuki as well as their children. They had decided to stay at Capsule Corporation with M. Bulma despite the generous offer of the budding Continuity Accord offering to build them a home as thanks to their efforts. M. Trunks and M. Natsuki had denied it as they didn't want to leave M. Bulma alone in the house, as well as the fact that the building did have some good memories.

As soon as M. Natsuki opened the door, a small weight slammed into her legs. M. Natsuki looked down to see a head of messy black hair as little arms tightened around her legs. "Welcome home, mom!" M. Natsuki's onyx eyes met with the blue eyes of her son as he looked up to her, eagerness floating in his eyes. His arms dropped from her legs as he smiled widely. "I've gotten better at energy-sensing. I could feel you on the other side of the city!"

M. Natsuki gave a light chuckle as she knelt to her son's level. While her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, her son was otherwise oblivious. "That's great, Goshan." She complimented. "You're doing a lot better. Soon, it'll be second nature to you."

"Don't worry, Goshan. Soon you'll be able to feel when mamma is on the complete opposite side of the world." Another young voice joined the conversation. Her hair was also black, like her brother's, but was less spikey than M. Goshan's. Instead, it laid mostly flat with her bangs retaining some of the spikey characteristics that her mother had.

M. Goshan grimaced and glared at his sister as he crossed his arms. "Humph." He grunted. "You may be better at power sensing, Laise, but I got a higher power level."

"Power levels don't mean everything. That's what Mamma said." M. Laise retorted calmly.

M. Natsuki lightly shook her head. "Now, now. None of that." She said, the tone of her voice lightly condemning the arguing between the two. "You each have your strengths and weaknesses. Instead of taunting each other about it, you should use that to help one another."

"Sorry, mom." M. Goshan and M. Laise said simultaneously, their heads slightly bowed at their mother's light scolding, causing a small smile to develop onto M. Natsuki's face. M. Goshan and M. Laise shared smiles with each other before they nuzzled into their mother's embrace. "Love you." They chorused as M. Natsuki's arms wrapped around her children.

M. Natsuki tightened her arms around her twin children as she closed her eyes, relishing the warmth that gathered in her chest. "Love you too." She whispered softly.

"Goshan, Laise." M. Trunks' voice called from the doorway he was leaning on. M. Natsuki dropped her arms as she opened her eyes at the sound of M. Trunks' voice. "Why don't the two of you go help your grandma set the table."

"Okay!" M. Goshan exclaimed happily before taking off past his father to the kitchen.

"Goshan! Wait for me!" M. Laise called as she ran to catch up with her brother.

It was silent between the two as they listened to the distancing voices of M. Goshan and M. Laise. They could hear as M. Goshan was trying to designate which of them would do what while M. Laise blatantly ignored her brother's words as she stated what she was going to do, naturally enticing complaining from her brother.

"Did the meeting go well?" M. Trunks questioned. The tension from after the interview still hung between the two despite the time apart.

M. Natsuki nodded, almost absent-mindedly. "It went fine. North City has the camera system implemented, as does East City. South City is still tweaking the system and the placements to suit their needs." She explained as she wrapped her arms around her middle. "And you? How was work?"

M. Trunks shrugged as he put all of his weight onto his feet instead of leaning against the doorframe. "Same as usual. It was a bunch of paperwork, mostly. There was a meeting this afternoon, but it just turned into a disagreement on a product model. So, I told them to go back to the drawing board and present it another time." He answered. M. Trunks sighed as it became silent between the two once more. "Look, Nat, I'm sorry about this morning."

M. Natsuki's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Sorry?" she questioned before she shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Trunks."

M. Trunks briefly furrowed his eyebrows at his wife before shaking it off and giving her a soft smile. "How about, after dinner, we go up onto the roof and stargaze a bit. Like we used to." M. Trunks suggested as he came to stand in front of her. The small smile was still on his face, and an eyebrow was raised, silently questioning if she would be interested. "Maybe it'll help calm you before bed?"

A smile of her own came over M. Natsuki's face at the memories of the nights they would spend on the roof. Most of those nights ended up with them falling asleep. M. Trunks would wake up and carry her back to their bed where she'd wake in the morning. "Sure." She agreed in a soft tone, nodding her head.

M. Trunks wrapped his arms around her, encasing M. Natsuki in his warmth. M. Natsuki nuzzled into his chest, her eyes closed, as her arms wrapped around him in return. Her grip on him tightened as she let herself be enveloped by the feeling of security he provided. A part of her held on tightly as if he was going to disappear, almost reluctant to let him go.

Without another word, M. Trunks kissed M. Natsuki's forehead before they left to join their children and M. Bulma at the dinner table with his arm still wrapped around her shoulders. Dinner was filled with light conversation from M. Trunks' work as well as the projects that M. Natsuki was working on with M. Bulma. M. Goshan and M. Laise chipped in, as was usual, with M. Goshan asking when he could learn something new in regard to training while M. Laise spoke of what she learned while they were with their grandmother ChiChi. From the corner of M. Natsuki's eye, she could see the repeated looks that she was getting from M. Bulma. It seemed what M. Trunks had told her earlier this morning was true. M. Bulma did suspect that something was going on, but M. Natsuki was thankful that M. Bulma wasn't pushing her on it now.

As promised, after dinner and after putting M. Goshan and M. Laise to bed, M. Trunks and M. Natsuki went to the roof to stargaze. It remained silent between them with no talk of what was plaguing M. Natsuki's mind. They enjoyed each other's company with M. Natsuki feeling content and relaxed as she began drifting off on M. Trunks' shoulder. In her sleepy mind, M. Natsuki could feel the movement as M. Trunks carried her to their bed. The rocking motion comforting and rhythmic that it soothed her to sleep.

However, as her mind sunk into the depths of slumber, darkness began swirling in her mind. The darkness resurfaced unfavorable memories and creating haunting nightmares in her subconscious. Oblivious to M. Trunks, M. Natsuki's calm façade quickly shifted to that of distress. Her brows furrowed as sweat began to form on her forehead while she would begin to toss and turn in her sleep. And, like many nights before, M. Natsuki would wake up in a sweat with her heart racing. She'd look around the room frantically as she tried to convince herself it was just a dream, and her eyes would land on her slumbering husband. M. Natsuki couldn't understand why she was distancing herself from those she loved. Regardless of her own confusion, M. Natsuki would fall into the typical routine of getting out of bed while trying not to disturb M. Trunks as he slept. M. Natsuki would peek in on M. Goshan and M. Laise in their room, seeing her twin children cuddled together in the same bed, before going into the lab to tweak her warning system.

A.N.: Quite the roller coaster, huh? This first chapter really gives the impression of how the book will unfold. Whereas Book 3 was a linear improvement in Arata's adjustment to Earth, Book 4 is showing the turbulence in M. Nat's mind frame. I had the beginning of this book planned out for a while and I'm more than happy with how it turned out!

Let me know what you think of this chapter.

Likes? Dislikes? General Opinions?

Next Chapter Title: Unknown Visitor

Until next time!