Disclaimer: I own this SevenDust cd. *holds it up* And you can't have it!
Info: Prolly wondering how this can be a G/CC if Goku's...I dunno, gone! Whelp, since I forgot about that thing, pretend with me that he's back. Slight A/U (w/ the Goku thing).
Chapter Two: "Alternative Olsen Twins? or Trunks Crashes the Party...Literally!"
The time machine was thrashed around in the multi-colored river of time. Confusion racked Mirai Trunks' mind as he went spiraling into the past. What was going on? This had never happened before!
Each time Trunks began a new thought, his side, or head, or whatever convenient body part would be rammed into the time machine's interior. Being beaten by a machine! he raged in his mind. All that he wanted was for this hellish ride to be done with.
Outside, the extra passenger clung on with ease. Her claw-like fingers had sunken into the glass and her feet gripped the yellow exterior tightly. She hummed a gentle tune while they bounced as though this were a soothing joy-ride on a sunny afternoon. Aphelia's ashen leather-like skin pressed contently against the warm hood of the machine. Hmmm, I wonder how the passenger is doing. Oh well. Bother, bother! We'll go back to Earth's stone age at this rate. Using her long, slender tail, the being altered their course by swinging the whip-like appendage either way like she was paddling a canoe.
It wasn't long before their journey was nearing an end. Good, good. Bad, bad. I can't risk him going back. No, no. We're here though. Yes, yes! What to do, what to do...?
"Happy birthday, Pan!" Son Goten cheered to his niece. While Mirai Trunks dealt with the troubles of his time traveling, the people in the present celebrated at Son Pan's 21st birthday party.
It was a surprise, of course, being the only way to get Pan to attend. She loved parties...just when they weren't her own. "Thanks, Uncle," she mumbled through a sweatdrop as she noticed the brightly colored cone hat on his spiked head.
This year's party was held at Capsule Corporation, constructed by the beautiful Bra and innocent Marron. Streamers hung on the large porch and balloons were tied to ends of banners. Throw in a clown and screaming eight-year-olds and you'd almost mistake this for Little Timmy's party.
All of Pan's friends and all her family's friends were there. That included the entire Z-team. Even the enigmatic Piccolo hovered about, leaning against this tree or that.
"So, Pan, enjoying the party?" Bra popped up, grabbing her friend's shoulders from behind. Pan smiled.
"Yeah. Thanks Bra. Hey, where's Marron? I want to thank her, too, or my mom'll get on me."
Bra cocked her head the side, aqua tresses bouncing. "I think she's talking to my brother, Goten, and Uubu."
"Thanks," Pan said and began to walk across the grounds to Marron.
"Have you opened anything yet?" Bra inquired, matching Pan's pace.
The quarter saiya-jin looked at her friend as they walked. "Yeah. The necklace I'm wearing is from my parents."
"Looks expensive," Bra noted.
"Yep. They seemed really proud of it, so I wore it."
The young princess raised an eyebrow. "Don't ya like it? It's really pretty!"
"I do," Pan subconsciously fingered the silver chain and soon the shining dragon pendent, "it's just that I don't like wearing expensive stuff. Ya know? I always feel like I'm gonna lose or break it or somethin'." Bra nodded. "Besides, the princess look is you."
At Gohan's daughter's smirk, Bra fumed. "Hey! It's not my fault my daddy's royalty!"
Pan laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I know, you're suffering so much from it."
"Shhhh." Bra smacked her in the arm. Pan just stuck her tongue out at her.
"Is there a cat-fight going on?" Marron teased from in front of the two.
"Oh, there you are. We were just coming to get you." Pan said breezily.
"I'm convenient like that...just coming to you and all..." the blonde chirped, acting more like a teenager than in her thirties.
"'Ello girls!" Goten piped, appearing behind Marron with Trunks and Uubu. A cup of punch was held in his right hand. He downed it easily.
"Hey," came the greeting in unison. Goten just fiddled idly with his empty cup.
Trunks looked uneasy. "What's wrong, Trunks-kun?" the Birthday-girl asked quizzically.
"Huh? Oh...I left a project that needed to be completed by today with co-workers. In all honesty, I trust them as far as I can throw them...ahh, wait," Trunks scratched his head as the group of friends laughed.
Marron stretched her neck and began to ask, "Hey Uub, how's the--" Her words were cut off as the ground began to shake and as the sound of a large explosion ripped through the air.
"What the hell?!" Trunks yelled over the chaotic noise, turning toward the sound.
The party-goers gasped, seeing that the explosion had come from the other side of Capsule Corp. Smoke and a small fireball loomed ominously over the building. Immediately, the Z-Warriors ran around the large compound to the site.
The group of youngsters was the last to arrive. Multiple pairs of eyes widened at the scene before them. Heavy black and gray smoke hung hauntingly in the air. Grotesquely twisted scraps of metal lay helter-skelter over the lawn while some burned from a savage fire. Broken shards of glass seemed to be everywhere and the ground looked to be stained with black ink. But the dismembered machine wasn't what held everyone's attention...it was the man that lay on the ground, head cradled in Bulma's lap. Although battered, bruised, and bleeding it was unmistakable who he was. Lavender hair was matted to his face from a deep gash on his head. It was definitely Trunks.
Several heads turned from the unconscious Trunks to the very stunned and wide-eyed Trunks. "W-why are there two...Trunks?" Bra sputtered out.
"Gosh, it's like a messed up version of them old Olsen twins!" Goten exclaimed.
Bulma shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes as she stroked her future son's hair. "He needs help..."
Black. It was all he could see. Every which way he turned there was nothing but utter darkness. He could feel it...creeping around him, tempted to swallow him whole. Trunks could feel himself trembling, and he rapidly began brushing his arms...his legs...his chest. The ebony expanse was clawing at him now, trying to wrap its sleek form around him...
And then there was nothing. He felt like he was floating in an utterly white void--like the time chamber. But a voice soon broke the silence. It was so familiar...so soothing. Instantly, he knew it was his mother's. She was singing. A soft tune. A lullaby. His eyes slide closed as he let the song fill him. Bulma would always hum or sing this to him when he was small...
"Trunks...are you awake?" Bulma stood over Mirai Trunks as he turned in his sleep. She had shooed everyone else outside as her father worked on stabilizing Trunks' condition. When he was through, she had ushered him out, too. If Trunks was here, in this time, something must have happened in the future. Deep down, the woman knew she had to be there. It was simply mothers' intuition.
Mirai Trunks' turning ceased, and his eyelids slowly parted. His vision was blurry, so he had to blink several times to clear it. Slowly, the worried face above him came into focus. "M-mother?" he questioned weakly, crystalline tears filling his blue eyes.
Bulma was taken aback by her son's emotion. She smiled, though. "Yeah. It's me."
Trunks sat abruptly up and hugged his mother, tears sliding down his face. His body protested the action greatly, but he didn't care. His mother there. Alive. "I-I thought you were dead..." he whispered.
As she held her son closely, Bulma realized what he meant. She stroked his lavender hair and looked toward the ceiling. I guess I died in the future...he must be confused. "Shhh...it's okay," she soothed.
A moment later, Trunks realized that he wasn't in the future anymore, but in the past. His mother was both dead and alive. Realizing that, he again swallowed his pain and his tears and pulled back. Scrubbing his face dry he said, "I'm sorry."
Pushing him back so that he could lay and rest, Bulma spoke softly, "It's okay. I guess you were still a little disoriented."
He sighed. "I'm in the past, aren't I?"
"Yes, but you blew up my time machine, kid!" She laughed lightly. He only nodded. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"
Mirai Trunks turned his head toward the window. The moon hung with a pale light, half full, and stars danced about the navy-blue sky. "You d-died...from the same heart virus that killed Goku."
She looked at him with a thoughtful expression. "I see."
"Your last wish was that I come back to the past. I, I wasn't going to, but Chi-Chi all but forced me into my time capsule. You probably know how...persuading she can be." He became quiet after that.
Bulma chuckled, though. "Oh yeah. So I guess your blow-up-the-time-machine-and-appear-from-it-unscathed trick kinda didn't work, huh?"
"I don't know what happened. I just remember being thrashed around violently and waking up here with my mother who's supposed to be dead." His voice was dark. The mother just nodded.
"You need to rest...and I don't want you to be like your father and get up! You aren't to move from that bed until I say so! No protests! Got it?" she said firmly.
Trunks smiled. "Yes ma'am."
*************
A/N: Well, well, well...
Thanks Sakura Briefs for helping me out w/ the chapter title. And thank you kind four reviewers. :)