Part II—Shopping and Old Friends
Trunks sighed for the millionth time as Bra tossed some more bags in his direction to carry. Pan and Marron giggling as he caught them. He had only managed to buy himself two pairs of pants, two shirts, a jacket and a vest, before Bra had caught him in the process of paying. He had managed to change, thankfully, into the vest combination only to end up carrying all of the girls' bags. Marron and Pan had both been confused to see all the differences in him, but when Bra had told them her Okasa would explain later that night, their questions ceased.
Trunks sighed again as the thirteen, eleven and nine year old girls made their way into another store, leaving him outside with the millions of packages. He had no idea why he had to come with them. It wasn't as if they needed protection or anything. They could take care of themselves. He sighed again and sat down on one of the benches outside the store in the midst of the mall. At least now he could take a breather and try to get his mind organized.
Trunks leaned back and closed his eyes, keeping his sword at the ready from force of habit. He let his mind drift, organizing the different sets of memories and slowly trying to get everything in order. The life he had lived without his father, his sister, his best friend…without anyone… and the life he had fixed where he had his father, his best friend, his sister and everyone else. He smiled as his mind slowly but surely began to organize itself.
Trunks was startled from his concentration as someone called his name. Trunks opened his eyes and blinked up at the person who had startled him from his thoughts. It was an exact replica of Gokou…but that only looked about eighteen with a completely different haircut. Trunks blinked up at him for a few moments before his mind made the connection. He grinned, "Goten!"
Goten blinked down at his best friend since they were children. His hair had grown at least five inches since he had seen him yesterday and his new…clothes…gave him the look of a trouble maker (which he was but that wasn't the point). The jean vest that looked like it had had sleeves that had been torn off, the black sleeveless shirt, the black pants and Capsule Corp. boots made him look like one of those rebels that were always on the TV. Goten also noticed his friend was much… bigger… than he was yesterday. What had happened to Trunks over night?
"Trunks?" Goten asked as Trunks stood up. "What the hell happened to you? You didn't even remotely look like this yesterday. What did you do to your hair…and yourself?"
Trunks gave a low laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Well, it is a long story and Okasa is going to explain it later tonight. So why don't you wait till then to find out what happened to me?" Goten only lifted an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. He guessed he had no choice but to wait. When Trunks said it was too complicated for him to explain, then it was damn well complicated. He turned and grinned when he saw Bra, Marron and Pan emerge from the store.
Goten laughed and turned back to Trunks. "No wonder you were taking a nap. You're bring dragged along by those three to carry all their packages!" Trunks growled at him and Goten grinned. "Well, I'm practically in the same boat…but the shopping for me hasn't started yet. But at least I don't have three teenage girls to carry stuff for!"
Trunks growled at Goten again, as a short red-haired, green-eyed girl attached herself to Goten's arm, startling the laughter out of him. Trunks and Goten stared down at the girl as she sighed against Goten's arm. Trunks blinked trying to remember where he had seen the girl before. Paras? The chick in love with Goten. One of the many? Trunks was torn from his thoughts when he caught Goten giving Trunks a longsuffering look as the girl looked up at Trunks. She blinked. "Trunks? What did you do to yourself?" Her eyes didn't bother to contain themselves to his face. Trunks' cheeks turned pink as the girl's eyes traveled down the length of him. She then smiled and turned her roving green eyes back toward Goten. Goten gave her a stiff smile and sighed as she returned to snuggling him. Trunks could barely control his laughter.
It was at that moment that Trunks caught sight of an amber-haired and turquoise-eyed girl staring at Goten and the flirt with a jealous eye. Trunks knew her from somewhere… But when Goten looked up and met the amber haired girl's turquoise eyes, they both flushed hotly as they made eye contact and she took off running in the opposite direction. Trunks burst out laughing as he saw her retreating body and turned to Goten.
"I remember now! That was Arista, wasn't it, Goten?"
Goten looked at Trunks strangely from the 'I remember now', about to make a comment on that remark, but the red-haired flirt's head shot up and her eyes scoured the surroundings. "Arista? Where? I don't see Arista anywhere." She blinked and giggled smiling up at Trunks. "Oh, you were just pulling my leg weren't you, Trunks?"
But before Goten and Trunks could make any response, Bra, Marron and Pan butted into the situation. Bra smiled cheerily at Trunks. "We're ready!"
Trunks groaned and Marron giggled.
Pan grinned and turned to Goten. "Uncle Goten! What would Grandma Chichi have to say if she saw you right now!" Pan giggled as Goten shot her a frustrated look.
Marron giggled and waved at the red-haired girl. "Konnichiwa, Paras!" The bimbo attached to Goten finally released him with a cry, "Marron! Bra! Pan! Why it is so nice to see all of you! Are you guys shopping right now or going to the Movie Theater?"
Bra, Marron, Pan and the flirt got themselves into an extended conversation as they motioned to the two young men. Trunks gave a sigh and began to pick up the bags. Goten just began to go after them. Trunks blinked and then gave a menacing growl. Goten turned and looked up at him with an eyebrow lifted.
"Well, you could at least give me a hand, Goten! There are four of them now! We can divide the packages equally! Don't just stand there!" Trunks said with exasperation.
Goten blinked innocently. "But my arm is numb from Paras holding onto it so tightly!"
Trunks' eyes narrowed and he reached for his sword. Goten immediately reached for some, if not half, of the packages. Both young men sighed in defeat as they walked behind the chatting teenage girls.
An hour later, Trunks and Goten were still sighing. The girls in front of them had gone into another store as they stood outside waiting for them. Goten rolled his eyes at Trunks and his friend smirked. They put the bags down and stretched out their arms as some girls passed by and giggled, making the two men blush. Trunks grinned at Goten and Goten grinned in return.
Suddenly Trunks and Goten felt a strange power nearby. Both turned their heads to the area from which it came, eyes narrowed. But just as suddenly as it had appeared it vanished, leaving Goten and Trunks pondering on the source of the strange power they had felt. Trunks lifted and eyebrow and turned to Goten. The expression on Goten's face indicated that he had also sensed the strange power that had come from what seemed like nowhere.
After the girls had come out of that store and tossed their packages at the males, Trunks and Goten picked up all the packages again with a groan and began to follow the women. Trunks then turned to Goten and asked, "Did you sense that strange power?"
Goten nodded and asked in return, "What do you think it was? Who do you think that unusual ki belonged to?"
Trunks shrugged. "I don't know, but it felt familiar. Almost as if I had felt something like it before, but I can't put my finger on it. But then again, my brain is still a mess."
Goten lifted an eyebrow at Trunks peculiar remark, but shook his head. Trunks would explain later what he meant by that. He shrugged. "All we can do is wait for it to make its move, whatever it is."
Trunks nodded in agreement, his eyes fading out into the distance, wondering at the strange ki and where he had sensed another ki like it before.
Goten and Trunks didn't sigh after that. Their thoughts were focused on the strange power they had felt. Little did they know that the being they had sensed was still watching them from a distance, his eyes carefully locked on the sword strapped to Trunks' back.
* * *
Minoshiya followed the one with the sword back to his home with the young woman. He hoped what his older brother had said was true about this Saiya-jin. They had had very little experience with those people, but from what he had heard they weren't exactly the nicest race.
He shook off his doubts and watched from a tall tree as the young man went to the roof of his house and sat on it, looking off to the distance. He seemed to be meditating. Minoshiya looked curiously at the young man with his older brother's sword. He blinked and wondered if he could sneak near the young man now since he seemed in meditation. It was the only thing he could think of to do now anyway.
So the small Konat made his way toward the young man meditating on the roof of his home. Minoshiya slowly eased his way up the wall of the house, closer and closer to the Saiya-jin prince. But before he could get within five feet of the young man, the sword was flashing and falling down upon him. Minoshiya gave a cry of surprised and dodged the blade. But he hadn't needed to. The sword had stopped in mid-air from falling down on him and hacking him in half. It was then that Minoshiya realized that the Saiya-jin had known he had been there the entire time. Minoshiya swallowed and closed his eyes.
"Please. My name is Minoshiya of Konat. My older brother sent me here in a time machine to find you so you could help us! Please, don't hurt me!" Minoshiya swallowed as sweat poured down. He had lost most if not all of his courage when he had had to fight the Hildegarn by himself. I thought he was dead for sure if his brother hadn't appeared to save him and ended up getting injured in the process. Minoshiya gulped as he waited for the young man to say something. But when he looked up he only stared into confused blue eyes that suddenly opened wide with realization.
"Where did you say you were from?" Trunks asked, his heart clenching. This little boy looked so much like Tapion. He wondered if this could be the little brother Tapion had mentioned once to him.
Minoshiya took a deep breath and gathered what was left of his shredded courage. "I am from Konat."
Trunks started and blinked. "Are you Tapion's little brother?"
Minoshiya looked up into the blue eyes and nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yes, I am! Then you do know my older brother! That is Tapion's sword you have!"
Trunks slowly nodded. What had happened? Why was Tapion's little brother here? But Trunks didn't have time to ask the kid the questions in his thoughts. Minoshiya grabbed Trunks' hand and began to lead him down to the ground, headed in the direction of the time machine. Trunks blinked then yanked his hand away. Minoshiya looked up in confusion. Trunks lifted an eyebrow.
"Where are you taking me? I need to know what's going on first. I can't go blindly into anything. I'm liable to get killed. What is going on? Why does Tapion need my help so badly? I thought we sent him back to a peaceful time."
Minoshiya bit his lip. He looked up at Trunks, his entire body trembling.
"Well…it didn't exactly work out that way. My brother told me what happened before he sent me here to get you. He told me that when the time machine had crashed he had thought he was back home until he opened it. He then realized he was on another planet that was being destroyed. He wondered how he could have been knocked off course. But when he saw the lower half of Hildegarn in the distance, he knew that he was on the planet I had been sent to. He saved me before Hildegarn could kill me, but he was seriously injured. He then took me to his time machine, though it was a bit banged up, and told me to find you. So you could help us."
Minoshiya's eyes filled with unshed tears as he gazed at Trunks. "Please! You have to help us! If not, Tapion will be killed!"
Trunks stared off into the distance. He knew he would go with Minoshiya; there was no doubt. But what would happen while there? He hoped that the time machine wouldn't be seriously damaged. He had finally come home and was whole; he didn't want to lose all of that.
But he couldn't just stand by and let Tapion be killed either. He had been the closest thing he had had to an older brother.
Trunks turned back to Minoshiya with a smile. The young Konat's face lit up with his smile of pure joy as he looked up to Trunks. He guided the Saiya-jin to the time machine and Minoshiya showed Trunks the date and place from which he had come. Trunks nodded and set it up on his own time machine, unknowing of what would happen in the near future…or past as the case may be.
Trunks smiled at the irony as he got into the time machine. He had just returned from the past that he had fixed, only to travel back to the past to save the lives of others again. Trunks shook his head and programmed the time machine. Within moments both were blasting into the portals between time and space.
Little did they know someone was watching and listening to them, the eyes of the eavesdropper opening as the two blasted into time and space.