"I cannot believe you," said Vegeta.
It was the day after Mirai and Jennifer had revealed their love for each other. After the passionate kiss at lunch, they had watched some television while holding hands (Mirai blushing lightly the whole time), then Jennifer had gone home, though not before giving him another kiss.
"What can't you believe?" Mirai asked.
"She could have been yours, you know. I saw the look in her eyes. You could have led her to your bedroom and she wouldn't have minded. Hell, I bet she was looking forward to it. Instead, you let her go home. Of course, there's nothing wrong with going to her house," he added thoughtfully. "It's the letting her go there ALONE that's the problem."
"Surely you're not suggesting what I think you are, are you?" Mirai said, looking at his father in disbelief.
"All I'm saying is that neither your mother nor I would mind a grandchild." Being human was taking its toll on Vegeta; he normally wouldn't have phrased it nearly that delicately.
Going quite red in the face, the purple-haired warrior rose from the couch. "You'll have grandchildren after we're married and not a day before." He stalked off in the direction of his room, leaving the other man shaking his head.
***
Mirai collapsed on his bed, also shaking his head. The nerve of his father...! Assuming that he wanted to...to...to become "better acquainted" with Jennifer...
Alright, he did. He admitted it. But he wasn't going to straight out ask her, that was for certain. Oh yes...that was one of the things his mother had taught him--his *real* mother. He loved the counterparts of his parents in this reality, and he thought of them as his mother and father, but they weren't, really. His actual parents were both dead, in his home reality.
He remembered one of the times he'd talked with her about it...
***
He had been in a bleaker mood than usual that day. After he finished his daily training, he'd simply begun staring out the window at the devastated remains of what had once been a large city.
His mother walked up behind him. "Is something wrong, honey?"
He'd sighed. "I dunno, Mom...I'm just kinda wondering what the point is. Even if I beat the androids, look at this." With a sweep of his arm, he had indicated the bleakness. "We'll be spending years, if not decades, rebuilding."
She had rested her hand on his shoulder. "I know, but once you've won, things will get much easier. The rebuilding'll take time, yes, but we'll do it eventually. And besides, then you'll have some help."
He turned his head to look at her. "What do you mean?" A small grin had formed on her face.
"I know how hard it is, the loneliness. For me there's at least other scientists, but you're the only one fighting. But once peace has come back...well, then you'll be able to find that special someone. Somewhere out there is the perfect girl for you, darling. You'll find her and get married and start a family, and you won't be lonely anymore."
"I sure hope so..."
"Trust me. It may not seem like it now, but if there's one thing that I learned from Son, it's that the good get rewarded in the end. And I can't think of anyone better than you."
It was only later that he'd remembered his mentor Gohan. He hadn't really been rewarded, unless you counted the eternal reward he'd achieved after death. But in this life? No, not really...
He didn't tell these feelings to his mother.
***
As the memory faded, Mirai grinned humorlessly. He'd found the perfect girl, all right, but "somewhere out there" had turned out to be a different universe. And he'd only met her because Babidi and Darbura had killed everyone else on his home Earth, leading him to return to this Earth one last time to live out the rest of his days.
And as for starting a family...naturally, he'd had practically no experience at all with girls. All he knew of such matters was what his mother had taught him. And she'd always taught him that you had a family *after* you were married.
Not that she'd obeyed this rule herself, of course, but...
He knew that Goku and Chi-Chi hadn't been up to anything until after they were married (though to be fair, they hardly knew each other until they got married), and he knew that Yamcha and Pu'ar weren't going to be up to anything until after their own wedding. Both Gohan and Videl, and Kuririn and Juuhachigou, were up in the air. As for his own parents, well, he was living proof that they hadn't waited.
His own course was clear. He was going to follow Goku's example.
If his father didn't drive him insane first.
***
A week later, he and Jennifer went out with Gohan and Videl. They were celebrating Gohan's dual victories: over the flu, and over a stack of supersized exams that had needed grading, after Piccolo had misinterpreted his instructions. They'd asked the other couple to come along with them.
The four had ended up going to a dance club. After a few high-energy numbers, Videl and Jennifer had followed in the footsteps of women everywhere and journeyed to the bathroom together. Gohan and Mirai sat down at a table.
"She seems like a nice girl," said Gohan, sipping from his drink.
"You have no idea," Mirai replied, enthusiasm evident in his voice. "She's the best. She's smart, funny, witty, beautiful..."
Gohan chuckled. "Good, good. Spoken like a true man in love. I'm glad to see you so happy. You certainly deserve it. Are you going to propose to her soon?"
"No. I mean, I probably will, but not soon. I love her, but we've only been together a month, and that's just not long enough. But yes, hopefully in just a few months, I will."
***
"You probably know him better than I do," said Videl, "But based on what I've heard about him and what I know of him first hand, Mirai's a pretty nice guy."
"Definitely," Jennifer said. "He's the politest man I've ever met. Probably the sweetest, too. He puts most everyone before himself. Really intelligent, not like some of the dumb idiots I've dated before. Pretty good-looking, too."
Videl nodded. "Have you and he...um..."
The older woman chuckled. "Nope. Apparently no one's told you, but when it comes to that, he's really shy. One of my favorite things is to tease him about it. I'll show you when we come out."
***
Videl and Jennifer found Gohan and Mirai. The martial artist sat down next to her husband, but the lawyer sat down on her boyfriend's lap, draped her arm across his shoulders, and said in her sultriest, most enticing voice, "Hey lover. Did you miss me?"
The reaction was immediate. His entire face turned a bright scarlet. Gohan and Videl chuckled, while Jennifer apologized and planted a kiss on his cheek. Before Mirai could say anything, a new song started playing. It was a slow song, and the Son's rose and headed for the dance floor. The others weren't long in following.
For someone with so little social experience, the time traveler proved to be a quite skilled dancer. They flowed across the dance floor like water; she was a little bit amazed. She was also a little amused to see that the intimate nature of the dance was causing, yes, a little blush.
When the song was over, the two gazed into each others' eyes. He began stroking her reddish hair, and she did the same to his long violet hair.
"I love you," she said after a moment.
"And I love you."
Wrapping their arms tight around one another, they leaned close and kissed passionately again, like they had a week ago. After a few seconds that seemed to last an eternity, while still being infinitesemally short, they stopped, and several of the other dancers applauded.
***
They spent the next few minutes just sitting and embracing one another. Then, sadly, it was time to go; Jennifer had an appearance in court.
"I'll just go tell Gohan we're leaving," Mirai said. "He and Videl went to the bathroom."
He entered the men's bathroom. Sure enough, there were Gohan's shoes in one of the stalls.
There were also Videl's.
A moment after seeing this, he heard two voices come from the stall, each one repeating a different pair of words: "Oh Videl" or "Oh Gohan."
***
"Did you tell him?" Jennifer asked.
"...I think I'll just leave a note."
***
After dropping Jennifer off at her house, so she could get her court papers, Mirai drove back to Capsule Corporation. Once the aircar was parked, he headed to his room. He sat down on his bed and sighed, but it was accompanied by a wistful smile.
How, he asked himself, was he supposed to hold out?
It would take a lot of self-control, that was sure. Meditation probably wouldn't hurt either. Lots and lots of meditation.
But, he found, with the day's memories floating in his mind, meditation was impossible. So instead he decided simply to take a nap.
He lay back and soon dozed off...and had some very sweet dreams indeed.
It was the day after Mirai and Jennifer had revealed their love for each other. After the passionate kiss at lunch, they had watched some television while holding hands (Mirai blushing lightly the whole time), then Jennifer had gone home, though not before giving him another kiss.
"What can't you believe?" Mirai asked.
"She could have been yours, you know. I saw the look in her eyes. You could have led her to your bedroom and she wouldn't have minded. Hell, I bet she was looking forward to it. Instead, you let her go home. Of course, there's nothing wrong with going to her house," he added thoughtfully. "It's the letting her go there ALONE that's the problem."
"Surely you're not suggesting what I think you are, are you?" Mirai said, looking at his father in disbelief.
"All I'm saying is that neither your mother nor I would mind a grandchild." Being human was taking its toll on Vegeta; he normally wouldn't have phrased it nearly that delicately.
Going quite red in the face, the purple-haired warrior rose from the couch. "You'll have grandchildren after we're married and not a day before." He stalked off in the direction of his room, leaving the other man shaking his head.
***
Mirai collapsed on his bed, also shaking his head. The nerve of his father...! Assuming that he wanted to...to...to become "better acquainted" with Jennifer...
Alright, he did. He admitted it. But he wasn't going to straight out ask her, that was for certain. Oh yes...that was one of the things his mother had taught him--his *real* mother. He loved the counterparts of his parents in this reality, and he thought of them as his mother and father, but they weren't, really. His actual parents were both dead, in his home reality.
He remembered one of the times he'd talked with her about it...
***
He had been in a bleaker mood than usual that day. After he finished his daily training, he'd simply begun staring out the window at the devastated remains of what had once been a large city.
His mother walked up behind him. "Is something wrong, honey?"
He'd sighed. "I dunno, Mom...I'm just kinda wondering what the point is. Even if I beat the androids, look at this." With a sweep of his arm, he had indicated the bleakness. "We'll be spending years, if not decades, rebuilding."
She had rested her hand on his shoulder. "I know, but once you've won, things will get much easier. The rebuilding'll take time, yes, but we'll do it eventually. And besides, then you'll have some help."
He turned his head to look at her. "What do you mean?" A small grin had formed on her face.
"I know how hard it is, the loneliness. For me there's at least other scientists, but you're the only one fighting. But once peace has come back...well, then you'll be able to find that special someone. Somewhere out there is the perfect girl for you, darling. You'll find her and get married and start a family, and you won't be lonely anymore."
"I sure hope so..."
"Trust me. It may not seem like it now, but if there's one thing that I learned from Son, it's that the good get rewarded in the end. And I can't think of anyone better than you."
It was only later that he'd remembered his mentor Gohan. He hadn't really been rewarded, unless you counted the eternal reward he'd achieved after death. But in this life? No, not really...
He didn't tell these feelings to his mother.
***
As the memory faded, Mirai grinned humorlessly. He'd found the perfect girl, all right, but "somewhere out there" had turned out to be a different universe. And he'd only met her because Babidi and Darbura had killed everyone else on his home Earth, leading him to return to this Earth one last time to live out the rest of his days.
And as for starting a family...naturally, he'd had practically no experience at all with girls. All he knew of such matters was what his mother had taught him. And she'd always taught him that you had a family *after* you were married.
Not that she'd obeyed this rule herself, of course, but...
He knew that Goku and Chi-Chi hadn't been up to anything until after they were married (though to be fair, they hardly knew each other until they got married), and he knew that Yamcha and Pu'ar weren't going to be up to anything until after their own wedding. Both Gohan and Videl, and Kuririn and Juuhachigou, were up in the air. As for his own parents, well, he was living proof that they hadn't waited.
His own course was clear. He was going to follow Goku's example.
If his father didn't drive him insane first.
***
A week later, he and Jennifer went out with Gohan and Videl. They were celebrating Gohan's dual victories: over the flu, and over a stack of supersized exams that had needed grading, after Piccolo had misinterpreted his instructions. They'd asked the other couple to come along with them.
The four had ended up going to a dance club. After a few high-energy numbers, Videl and Jennifer had followed in the footsteps of women everywhere and journeyed to the bathroom together. Gohan and Mirai sat down at a table.
"She seems like a nice girl," said Gohan, sipping from his drink.
"You have no idea," Mirai replied, enthusiasm evident in his voice. "She's the best. She's smart, funny, witty, beautiful..."
Gohan chuckled. "Good, good. Spoken like a true man in love. I'm glad to see you so happy. You certainly deserve it. Are you going to propose to her soon?"
"No. I mean, I probably will, but not soon. I love her, but we've only been together a month, and that's just not long enough. But yes, hopefully in just a few months, I will."
***
"You probably know him better than I do," said Videl, "But based on what I've heard about him and what I know of him first hand, Mirai's a pretty nice guy."
"Definitely," Jennifer said. "He's the politest man I've ever met. Probably the sweetest, too. He puts most everyone before himself. Really intelligent, not like some of the dumb idiots I've dated before. Pretty good-looking, too."
Videl nodded. "Have you and he...um..."
The older woman chuckled. "Nope. Apparently no one's told you, but when it comes to that, he's really shy. One of my favorite things is to tease him about it. I'll show you when we come out."
***
Videl and Jennifer found Gohan and Mirai. The martial artist sat down next to her husband, but the lawyer sat down on her boyfriend's lap, draped her arm across his shoulders, and said in her sultriest, most enticing voice, "Hey lover. Did you miss me?"
The reaction was immediate. His entire face turned a bright scarlet. Gohan and Videl chuckled, while Jennifer apologized and planted a kiss on his cheek. Before Mirai could say anything, a new song started playing. It was a slow song, and the Son's rose and headed for the dance floor. The others weren't long in following.
For someone with so little social experience, the time traveler proved to be a quite skilled dancer. They flowed across the dance floor like water; she was a little bit amazed. She was also a little amused to see that the intimate nature of the dance was causing, yes, a little blush.
When the song was over, the two gazed into each others' eyes. He began stroking her reddish hair, and she did the same to his long violet hair.
"I love you," she said after a moment.
"And I love you."
Wrapping their arms tight around one another, they leaned close and kissed passionately again, like they had a week ago. After a few seconds that seemed to last an eternity, while still being infinitesemally short, they stopped, and several of the other dancers applauded.
***
They spent the next few minutes just sitting and embracing one another. Then, sadly, it was time to go; Jennifer had an appearance in court.
"I'll just go tell Gohan we're leaving," Mirai said. "He and Videl went to the bathroom."
He entered the men's bathroom. Sure enough, there were Gohan's shoes in one of the stalls.
There were also Videl's.
A moment after seeing this, he heard two voices come from the stall, each one repeating a different pair of words: "Oh Videl" or "Oh Gohan."
***
"Did you tell him?" Jennifer asked.
"...I think I'll just leave a note."
***
After dropping Jennifer off at her house, so she could get her court papers, Mirai drove back to Capsule Corporation. Once the aircar was parked, he headed to his room. He sat down on his bed and sighed, but it was accompanied by a wistful smile.
How, he asked himself, was he supposed to hold out?
It would take a lot of self-control, that was sure. Meditation probably wouldn't hurt either. Lots and lots of meditation.
But, he found, with the day's memories floating in his mind, meditation was impossible. So instead he decided simply to take a nap.
He lay back and soon dozed off...and had some very sweet dreams indeed.