Memories That Never Were
by Eric Jacobson
Author's Note: After the response I got for the original, I decided to do a follow-up. Here's the deal. After receiving the letter from Vegeta, Mirai Bulma writes one back to her long lost mate. Trunks goes back to make his visit to the gang and tell them how he defeated the Androids and Cell in his time, and carries the letter for his father with him. Now it's time for Vegeta to hear the old "You've Got Mail" sound. Enjoy.
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"Well, Trunks, you be careful going back there. And make sure you give my love to Krillin and Tien!" Mirai Bulma straightened her son's Capsule Corp. jacket and looked him over one last time. He had grown so much since he had first left. "Kami, I'm so proud of you, son. You saved our world. You're the best gift anyone's ever given to me. And believe me, that's saying alot for your father."
"I know, mom. I just wish you could go back yourself and see him. After all this time, and everything that's happened, you deserve some time with him."
"That may be, Trunks. But the time capsule only has room for one person, and you need me here to bring you back. Besides. I don't know if your father would like having two of me existing at once, even for a few hours. As I recall, I used to drive him up the wall."
Trunks looked at his mother and laughed. She was always so strong in these sorts of situations. Ever the picture of courage. He looked down at the letter he now held in his hand. Just as his father did on his return, his mother was doing: sending a letter back to the other. He knew in his heart that they loved each other more than either would ever admit. And now, he was charged with carrying that message through time.
"Well, son, it's time to go. You ready to launch?" Bulma moved over to the control panel on the left side of the hangar and punched a few buttons, retracting the equipment that was around the Time Capsule. Another button press brought the gantry stairway to the side of the capsule so Trunks could climb up in.
He stopped at the top of the gantry and looked over at his mother. Smiling, he waved and moved into the capsule's cockput. The hatched closed around him and he reached over to switch on the two-way radio. "Everything's green, Mom," he shouted into the mic, and gave her the thumbs up.
"Take care, Trunks. And make sure Vegeta gets that letter..." Bulma spoke quietly as she looked at the smiling face of her son one last time. With the throwing of a lever and a bright flash of light, her son vanished into the time stream, on his way back to a happier time. When her one and only love was alive. "I just hope Vegeta doesn't over react..."
The capsule came to a rest in the main courtyard of Capsule Corp's compound, where it had stood only seconds before. But in this time, there was no hangar, just a large grassy expanse. The differences in time periods always intrigued Trunks, because his world had always been what was left in the wake of the Androids. He saw his mother, now younger and carrying Chibi Trunks with her, running towards him, waving and yelling frantically.
"Hey, Trunks! Good to see you back!" Bulma was excited to see her future son. She knew that this would be his last visit, so she was trying her best to get in as much time as she could with him.
"Hi Mom. I have good news!"
Bulma hugged her older son with her free arm while still cradeling her young son. After a peck on the cheek, she looked at her future boy with a smile. "Well, what's this good news? You finally got a new girlfriend?"
"No, mom. I did it. I defeated the Androids. And I even destroyed Cell! The nightmare is finally over, mom! And it was all thanks to you and everyone back here!"
"My Kami... Trunks... I'm so happy for you! Of course, I should expect this sort of news from my one and only son! I'm really proud of you!"
Trunks found it hard to hear that from her a mere two minutes after she had said it to him in the future. But to hear it from her, in this time or his own, still made him feel better. Now, hearing that from his father, that was a different story. But what Yamcha had told him after being revived by Dende's DragonBalls, how his father had made a rush at Cell in retort for slaying his son, that would always be enough for him. "Hey, mom. Where's dad? I have to talk to him about something."
"Your father? Oh, he should be where he always is. After seeing what Gohan did during the fight with Cell, he wanted to train harder and harder to reach that level. You know how he is, though. Go ahead down and see him. I'll be in the kitchen, making you something to eat."
"Thanks, mom! You're the best." He climbed out of the capsule and collapsed it. Pocketing the tiny device, he followed his mother into the house. As he did, Chibi Trunks looked back at him. The tiny one shot the young man a look that caught the elder half Saiyan by surprise. 'It's as if... it's like he... he knows...'
Trunks walked into the gravity training lab, a new wing of the lab compound's main building that was more or less developed because of Vegeta's growing demands. There was a giant donut shaped structure in the middle, obviously the simulator. He noticed the structural and size improvments and figured they were made to keep the mighty Saiyan Prince from destroying it every few days.
Walking up to the trainer, he looked in the bubble shaped window that was set into the door. Inside he saw a blur of blue and black, the occasional energy blast, and a whole bunch of gold ki light that signified only one thing. His father was inside, and he was hard at work on his next impossible dream.
After another half hour of training, Vegeta finallu shut down the simulator and stepped out of the chamber to take a break, when he saw his son standing next to the control panel. He looked his boy over for a moment. That hair... He would always dislike his son's hair. It made him look too human. That and his eyes, both his mother's fault. Even Kakarott's brat looked Saiyan. But this young man that stood before him was a warrior worthy of his respect. It made Vegeta proud that his son was following his father's footsteps, at least in some areas.
"Hrmph" was all he could manage in greeting his offspring.
"I love you too, dad." Trunks just smiled. Having spent a year in the Hyperbolic Chamber with his father, he had grown used to his selfish mannerisms. "Looks like you're training hard. I'd never expect anything less from a man like you."
"You're damn right, boy. If Kakarott's brat can reach another level, than so can I. And I won't stop until I reach that level myself or die trying."
"You know, I honestly missed that part of you, dad. Always the proud warrior."
"Whatever, boy. Now, there has to be a good reason for you to come back to the past again. What the bloody hell are you doing here?"
The young Saiyan relayed the story to his father. How he wasted the Androids, and took Cell by storm, ending the menace once and for all in his time. Vegeta only stood wide eyed, stunned by the tales his son was telling him.
"Amazing. You did all of that in the span of a few days. Unbelieveable." He paused, and the familiar smirk crossed his lips again as he looked his son in the eye. "You truely are my son, Trunks. I'm proud of all that you've accomplished. Your blood may not be pure, but you truely are of the Saiyan's Royal Family."
"Thanks, dad. I have to go tell everyone else. But before I go..." Trunks reached into his pocket and pulled out a small paper envelope, which he held out to the elder Saiyan. "This is for you. It's from mom."
Vegeta looked at the letter for a moment. "Is your mother resorting to sending you with notes when she needs me to move some furniture? Typical woman, she can't do anything on her own."
"No, dad. It's from 'Mom'..."
He paused for a moment, and he realized that it wasn't from his Bulma, but the Bulma from his son's timeline. "She... she wrote me a letter?"
"Yeah, she did. I gave her yours, and I assume this is the response." He placed the envelope into his father's gloved hand. "I'll leave you to read it. I've gotta find Krillin and the others." With that, he turned and ran out the lab door, calling back one last time. "Love ya, dad!"
Vegeta found himself up on the roof of the Capsule Corp's main housing unit later that evening. He still hadn't opened the letter, he was in fact almost afraid to. In that time, he had gone off and never knew his son before he was killed by the Androids. Would she be angry that he was never there? Or would she be all blathery and emotional? In his mind, he almost didn't want to know what the response to his letter would be.
Almost...
He gently tore accross the top fold of the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper concealed within. He unfolded it, and took one last look at the starry sky above. "Please, let this be what I hope it will be..." With that, he began to read.
Vegeta,
When I read your letter, I couldn't believe it. But at the same time, I felt like I had known it the whole time. For all these years, I wondered, yet felt more like I knew it was true. You really do love me. Now that I know for sure, I feel so much better about all I've done. It was all worth the effort.
Your son, Vegeta. Trunks. He's such a strong boy. And he has so much of his father in him. Every time he looks at me, I see you in his eyes. He has your insane work ethic, and the soft, caring mannerisms that I always wish you had. But that's what gave you your charm, Vegeta. I always loved that in you...
Kami, how I've missed you, my Saiyan Prince. From the day I heard that you died, I swore that everything I did would be in your memory. I would raise your son, and Gohan would train him so he could avenge his father. When they killed Gohan, Trunks found himself alone. I saw you all over again through him, 'Geta. Alone, just like you were. But, just like you, he never gave up. It's almost as if you live on through him.
And now, the nightmare is over. Your son has claimed victory and our world can continue on in peace. I know it's nothing compared to what you did before I met you, but I think it's a reason to feel like a proud father, Vegeta. I only ask that you are there for your son in your time. He needs you and loves you very much. He's a handful, but he will make you proud.
Well, I'm sure I've taken enough time away from your training as it is, so I will let you go. And just so you know, I love you with all that I am. You may be gone in my time, but the gift you gave me, our son, will remind me of your love forever. I love you, my Saiyan Prince, my 'Geta.
Love, Bulma...
A single tear welled up in his eye as he put the letter down and stared off into space. He never had any idea that she felt like that about him. The tear then became too big to simply sit near the proud warrior's eye and ran down his cheek, falling off at the angle defined by his chin.
It was then that it came to him. He would need help, though, and decided to recruit the little bald monk known as Krillin. He sped off after tucking the letter into his suit, and set his plan into motion.
The next morning, Trunks was preparing to leave for the future one final time. This time, he would not be coming back, ever. Vegeta saw his moment as goodbyes were being said, and walked up to his son. "Now listen to me, boy. I want to give something to your mother, and baldie here has agreed to give me a hand. So, humor your old man for a second, would you?"
"What do you mean, dad?" Trunks watched as Vegeta walked over to Bulma, who was cradeling Chibi Trunks in her arms, and led them over to the front of the time capsule.
"Vegeta, what do you want the baby and me over here for?" Bulma found herself asking as she watched him move their future son slightly behind and to the left of her.
"Now then. Are you ready, baldie?" Vegeta stood next to his son accross from his mate and infant son. The scene was almost too unreal to Krillin, who was holding the camera, ready to snap the picture.
"Alright everyone, hold still, I'm gonna take two!" Krillin aimed and counted down. "Three... Two... One..." CLICK! "Here comes number two," the monk yelled as the first picture came out of the instant film slot and started to develop. "Three... Two... One..." CLICK! The second picture followed the first almost imediately, and Krillin pulled them both out to watch them turn out.
When they were done developing, Vegeta snatched them from Krillin's hand and looked them over. He then slid what he thought to be the better of the two pictures into his son's pocket. "This is for your mother. I assume she would like a family portrait. This is the best I could do on short notice, so I hope it will do the trick. Make sure she recieves it, boy."
"Dad. You know I will. I promise you that."
Vegeta put his hand on his son's shoulder and smirked his trademark smirk. "I know you will, my son. Go. Make your mother happy for me."
Trunks could only nod as he climbed into his capsule and fired up the engines. He waved goodbye one final time as the capsule lifted off, finally vanishing in a flash of light.
When the capsule was gone, Vegeta walked over to Bulma and smiled. She just looked at him oddly, still clutching her son in her arms. "What's that for, Vegeta? I though the mighty Saiyan Prince didn't smile."
"He does when it's for you, my dear Bulma. For his mate and his son, the Prince will smile..."
Bulma sat at her desk and looked from her monitor to her clock. It was nearly 1:30 in the morning, ans she had been working late on a project of her father's. She looked over to the picture that her son had given her when he returned earlier that day. It was an instant picture of the family she had really never known. There she stood, younger, carrying her infant son. On the right, Vegeta, the Saiyan warrior that she loved so much. And in the middle, her grown son, smiling next to his mother and father. She picked it up and smiled, and carried it with her as she left to head home.
As she locked the doors behind her, she looked at the time machine she had created. It had given her the means to see her long lost love again, but she knew that they might never be able to use it again. A single tear tumbled from her eye and landed in her hand. She looked at the picture again, and smiled. 'At least...' she thought. 'At least I still have this... and my son..."
With that, she shut the lab lights off and walked out towards her home...
Depending on the response, I might do a third installment with a meeting between Mirai Bulma and Vegeta. But that has yet to be determined. Anyway, Second R Time, please be nice. Hope you enjoyed it. As always, check out my other fics at my FanFiction Home Site