Vegeta and Mirai did not speak as they trained. Mirai was content to simply
be with his father again. Years had passed since their last meeting, and
this time, to Vegeta's delight and relief, he was the stronger one. This
fact restored a part of his pride that had been lost long ago.
"I'm sorry, Otouson, but I need a rest," panted Mirai after several hours.
Vegeta nodded and the two sat down.
"You're so strong. I must have been slacking off this whole time. By the
way, how do you like Earth? Life any easier?" asked Mirai.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. His other son hadn't changed much. He still thrived
on heart to hearts.
"I suppose. That woman of mine is still as loud as ever. Emotional too. My
son's the strongest kid in the galaxy, Kakarot's still an idiot..."
"At least you and mom get along now, right?"
Mirai wanted to hear his father admit it. Vegeta snorted.
"Feh. Perhaps. She stopped throwing chairs at me, anyway. We can almost use
telepathy."
"What?" gasped Mirai.
"When I died, she knew something bad happened to me. She could...feel me, in
a way."
Mirai Trunks was secretly thrilled. During his previous stay, he had
exhausted himself trying to get them to make up. He had been hoping to visit
a past where he had a happy family -- not a pair of unwed, unhappy parents.
Being able to sense one's spouse surly meant something! Mirai lay back on
the grass. Trunks didn't realize how lucky he was. None of them did. This
world was perfect.
Goku landed beside the pair.
"Hey you guys! Tired already? I wanted to spar," he complained.
"I'm not tired at all," claimed Vegeta, leaping to his feet.
"Is it all right if I steal your sparring partner for a bit?" he asked.
"Go ahead," replied Mirai with a smile. "I'm beat."
Mirai watched the two train, Goku chatting for a while before the fight
required his full attention. Still, both Saiyans were relaxed, perfectly
comfortable with each other. Mirai could tell the two had become close
friends. At the party "Kakarot" had told him of Vegeta's self-sacrificing
attempts to protect him from Majin Buu.
"He was being beaten hard and he was hurting," Goku had said. "But he
wouldn't give up. I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for Mr.
Satan. Vegeta was immobile and right in the way of my delivering the final
blast to Majin Buu. If Mr. Satan hadn't carried him off, I would have had to
kill Vegeta along with our enemy! How could I have lived with myself?"
"I'm serious, Goten," Trunks snapped. "We have to get rid of him. He's
stealing my parents, that brown-noser."
"How do we get rid of him? He's bigger than you."
"If I can convince my parents that he's not so perfect, he'll want to leave,
right?"
"I guess."
"My papa will be the easiest to convince. He got really mad when Mirai hit
me yesterday. Mama, on the other hand, worships him. Yamcha said Papa got
really jealous when he visited before."
"I have a plan!" squealed Goten. "You can pretend that your ankle is
sprained, and say Mirai turned the gravity machine's power up really high
while you were training. That way, your parents and everyone will be mad at
him!"
"Goten! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard!" yelled Trunks. "How will I
fake a sprained ankle? A sprained ankle is bruised and swollen! Even if I
disguised it by putting it in a bandage, Mama or Papa would ask to examine
it or make me use an ice pack. How can you be so dumb? Ow!"
Trunks dropped to the ground, clutching his ankle.
"You idiot! Why did you kick me?!"
"I'm sorry," whimpered Goten, realizing his foolishness too late. "I thought
I'd bruise it for you."
Trunks lunged at Goten and a brawl began.
"Boys! Boys!" cried #18 running over.
She had been walking with Marron when she noticed the fight. The android
grabbed each boy's collar and yanked them apart.
"He started it!" Trunks yelled. "He kicked my ankle. HARD!"
"I was only trying to help him," Goten insisted tearfully.
"How did that HELP me?"
"Quiet, both of you. I'm taking you back to Capsule Corporation. Goten, never
strike joints if you're not in real battle. It could be a serious injury.
Trunks, with your Saiyan healing process, this foot will be fine in far
less than an hour, so don't fuss."
She took her daughter's hand and used her other arm to lift Trunks.
Protecting his ankle from further abuse would cut down on healing time even
more...and prevent whining. Besides, she didn't want Bulma to be angry with
her.
"Baby," muttered Goten under his breath.
"I heard that," #18 warned.
"Trunks!" Bulma cried, ten minutes later.
She and Chi-Chi had been talking in the garden when #18 appeared carrying
her son. The concern in her voice comforted him. Maybe his mom cared for him
after all.
"Don't worry, Bulma, he should be fine now. His foot just needed a quick
rest, that's all."
She placed the lavender-haired boy on his feet. The fading mark on his ankle
didn't hurt at all.
"What happened?" Bulma asked.
Trunks and Goten sprinted inside. Their moms were always lecturing them
about their tousle-to-tears bickering.
"Well THAT didn't work," sighed Trunks once they were safely in his room.
"I really am sorry, Trunks," Goten apologized.
"That's okay. You could never hurt me for real."
"That's it!" exclaimed Goten.
"What?"
"Challenge Mirai to combat. If you win, your dad will be so proud, 'cause he
trained you. If you lose, your mom will want to baby you. Either way, you
get at least one parent's attention."
The pale blue eyes lit up.
"Goten, that's the best plan you've ever had!"
be with his father again. Years had passed since their last meeting, and
this time, to Vegeta's delight and relief, he was the stronger one. This
fact restored a part of his pride that had been lost long ago.
"I'm sorry, Otouson, but I need a rest," panted Mirai after several hours.
Vegeta nodded and the two sat down.
"You're so strong. I must have been slacking off this whole time. By the
way, how do you like Earth? Life any easier?" asked Mirai.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. His other son hadn't changed much. He still thrived
on heart to hearts.
"I suppose. That woman of mine is still as loud as ever. Emotional too. My
son's the strongest kid in the galaxy, Kakarot's still an idiot..."
"At least you and mom get along now, right?"
Mirai wanted to hear his father admit it. Vegeta snorted.
"Feh. Perhaps. She stopped throwing chairs at me, anyway. We can almost use
telepathy."
"What?" gasped Mirai.
"When I died, she knew something bad happened to me. She could...feel me, in
a way."
Mirai Trunks was secretly thrilled. During his previous stay, he had
exhausted himself trying to get them to make up. He had been hoping to visit
a past where he had a happy family -- not a pair of unwed, unhappy parents.
Being able to sense one's spouse surly meant something! Mirai lay back on
the grass. Trunks didn't realize how lucky he was. None of them did. This
world was perfect.
Goku landed beside the pair.
"Hey you guys! Tired already? I wanted to spar," he complained.
"I'm not tired at all," claimed Vegeta, leaping to his feet.
"Is it all right if I steal your sparring partner for a bit?" he asked.
"Go ahead," replied Mirai with a smile. "I'm beat."
Mirai watched the two train, Goku chatting for a while before the fight
required his full attention. Still, both Saiyans were relaxed, perfectly
comfortable with each other. Mirai could tell the two had become close
friends. At the party "Kakarot" had told him of Vegeta's self-sacrificing
attempts to protect him from Majin Buu.
"He was being beaten hard and he was hurting," Goku had said. "But he
wouldn't give up. I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for Mr.
Satan. Vegeta was immobile and right in the way of my delivering the final
blast to Majin Buu. If Mr. Satan hadn't carried him off, I would have had to
kill Vegeta along with our enemy! How could I have lived with myself?"
"I'm serious, Goten," Trunks snapped. "We have to get rid of him. He's
stealing my parents, that brown-noser."
"How do we get rid of him? He's bigger than you."
"If I can convince my parents that he's not so perfect, he'll want to leave,
right?"
"I guess."
"My papa will be the easiest to convince. He got really mad when Mirai hit
me yesterday. Mama, on the other hand, worships him. Yamcha said Papa got
really jealous when he visited before."
"I have a plan!" squealed Goten. "You can pretend that your ankle is
sprained, and say Mirai turned the gravity machine's power up really high
while you were training. That way, your parents and everyone will be mad at
him!"
"Goten! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard!" yelled Trunks. "How will I
fake a sprained ankle? A sprained ankle is bruised and swollen! Even if I
disguised it by putting it in a bandage, Mama or Papa would ask to examine
it or make me use an ice pack. How can you be so dumb? Ow!"
Trunks dropped to the ground, clutching his ankle.
"You idiot! Why did you kick me?!"
"I'm sorry," whimpered Goten, realizing his foolishness too late. "I thought
I'd bruise it for you."
Trunks lunged at Goten and a brawl began.
"Boys! Boys!" cried #18 running over.
She had been walking with Marron when she noticed the fight. The android
grabbed each boy's collar and yanked them apart.
"He started it!" Trunks yelled. "He kicked my ankle. HARD!"
"I was only trying to help him," Goten insisted tearfully.
"How did that HELP me?"
"Quiet, both of you. I'm taking you back to Capsule Corporation. Goten, never
strike joints if you're not in real battle. It could be a serious injury.
Trunks, with your Saiyan healing process, this foot will be fine in far
less than an hour, so don't fuss."
She took her daughter's hand and used her other arm to lift Trunks.
Protecting his ankle from further abuse would cut down on healing time even
more...and prevent whining. Besides, she didn't want Bulma to be angry with
her.
"Baby," muttered Goten under his breath.
"I heard that," #18 warned.
"Trunks!" Bulma cried, ten minutes later.
She and Chi-Chi had been talking in the garden when #18 appeared carrying
her son. The concern in her voice comforted him. Maybe his mom cared for him
after all.
"Don't worry, Bulma, he should be fine now. His foot just needed a quick
rest, that's all."
She placed the lavender-haired boy on his feet. The fading mark on his ankle
didn't hurt at all.
"What happened?" Bulma asked.
Trunks and Goten sprinted inside. Their moms were always lecturing them
about their tousle-to-tears bickering.
"Well THAT didn't work," sighed Trunks once they were safely in his room.
"I really am sorry, Trunks," Goten apologized.
"That's okay. You could never hurt me for real."
"That's it!" exclaimed Goten.
"What?"
"Challenge Mirai to combat. If you win, your dad will be so proud, 'cause he
trained you. If you lose, your mom will want to baby you. Either way, you
get at least one parent's attention."
The pale blue eyes lit up.
"Goten, that's the best plan you've ever had!"