A/N: Well, everyone, here's the next chapter! I had a little idea and shared it with Alicia, so then we decided to both write this chapter. So... we hope you like it! Chapter Two will be written by SSM... anyone want to do Chapter Three? For if not, Alicia is willing to write the third chapter. Just let me know in your review.

For questions, comments and the like, please leave it in your review. Thanks a lot!

Dragonball Z: Back to the Future
Chapter One: Trusting
By Alicia and Kaz

"But... now that I'm here, how do I get back home? This is so not good."

Twelve-year-old Goten shook his head as he continued to walk around, ignoring the world around him. After all, it wasn't his world. He didn't belong in the time he was in, and he wasn't supposed to be in that time either. "Thirteen years," Goten told himself. "Dad has been dead for thirteen years, and all the other Z-Senshi are dead, save Oniichan and Trunks... Oniichan..." his voice trailed off as an idea struck him, but then he quickly abandoned it. "It wouldn't work... I mean, what do will I do, what will I say when I see him? Hi, Gohan! I'm Goten, your little brother from another timeline! Guess what? Bulma's gonna finish a time machine and she'll send Trunks to the past and he saves Dad from getting killed and so the world will be saved from the androids!"

He rolled his eyes. "Pathetic. Just pathetic," he muttered as he sighed. "I'll NEVER get back home if this is the case... I'm going to be stuck in this timeline forever, with a pair of evil androids and a nearly lifeless Earth. And... I won't have anyone..." his voice trailed off as he felt two powerful kis at a distance. Fearing that those power levels belonged to 17 and 18, Goten quickly supressed his ki, and crept slowly to where the fighters were.

But they weren't 17 and 18.

"I can't do it!" a lavender-haired boy with a familiar face exclaimed as he sunk back to the ground in defeat and exhaustion, tears coming to his deep blue eyes. He was wearing a Capsule Corporation shirt that confirmed his true identity to the spying demi-saiyajin. He was Trunks, 13-year old Mirai Trunks.

Across him stood an older man, wearing the all-too-familiar fighting gi of the Son family, with jet-black hair and sharp raven eyes that were filled with pain, anguish and anger at the same time. With sure steps, he strode towards his apprentice and blurted out in a sharp tone, "Are you just going to give up?! Are you just going to let our efforts go to waste?! You said you wanted to save the world from the androids! You said you wanted to avenge the death of so many people, especially the death of your father! But why are you surrendering?! Don't give up, Trunks!"

"I'm sorry, Gohan, but I just can't!" Trunks wailed in reply as tears fell from his eyes. "It's too hard... I'm too weak... Super Saiyan... I can't do that, I can't attain that, even though I want to, but I just can't! And I HATE it! I so hate it! And I hate myself for being so weak, so useless! I JUST CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!" he yelled at Gohan, when a powerful blow struck him right at his face, and the sudden force sent him sprawling on the ground.

"Trunks," Gohan began in a deadly serious tone, indicating that he was certainly not pleased with the way his student acted. "You have enormous potential. That's why I never stopped training you, that's why I never gave up on you, although until now you still aren't capable of transforming into Super Saiyan. But I'm sure that if you try hard enough, you'll attain that in time. Just don't give up. That's what I want you to do." He then folded his arms in front of his chest and added, "And stop crying. Warriors don't cry."

Vegeta's son wiped away the tears he shed as he got up, and then, he turned to his sensei with determined eyes. "Arigatou, sensei. I... I won't give up. I promise."

Gohan nodded, his face reflecting a bit of pride, and then he walked towards Trunks and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "That's the spirit, little bro," he said before he hugged the younger warrior. "Let's not give up, because if we do, we won't have any future. We're the only ones left with the potential to save the world from the androids. Only me, your sensei and big brother; and you, my student and little brother."

A twinge of jealousy crept up to Goten as the teacher-and-student continued their conversation, his jealousy caused by the fact that Gohan considered Trunks as his little brother and that Gohan would NEVER recognize him, even if he would show up in front of them right then and there. He knew that Gohan would only shoo him away, or even hurt him for claiming to be related to him by blood, and that caused more pain in the pre-teen at the moment.

He didn't want to know what would happen next to Gohan and his little brother, so Goten got up and ran away once more, not knowing where he was going and not realizing that his power level just flared up due to the development of his emotions. He just ran and ran, just like what he did earlier. However, he did not know that both warriors felt his presence, and the Mirai counterpart of his best friend was now forcing Gohan to let him talk to the stranger.

"No, Trunks, don't!" Gohan yelled as he grabbed Trunks' arm to prevent him from running after Goten. "You don't know who he is, or where he came from! For all we know, he may be an android, and I'm sure you felt his strong power level!"

Trunks shook his head. "I don't think so, Gohan. I mean, the androids' auras have a different... touch. It's as if you can really tell that they're evil. And I don't feel that on him. Come on, Gohan!" he blurted out. "And besides, if he was an enemy, why did he run away? Why didn't he attack us? Geez, Gohan. You're too serious."

"We don't have time for games such as these, Trunks," the older saiyajin said with narrowed eyes. "I don't trust any strangers, and you know that. I don't want to hear you talking about that kid, nor do I want to see you by him, am I clear?!"

"Hai, sensei," Trunks answered as he slumped his shoulders in defeat. There was no use arguing with Gohan, who was never related to him by blood, but had been so protective over him the past few days, just like how a big brother would care for his little brother. And he knew that the right thing to do would be to just obey him.

But there was this thing called temptation.

Trunks saw the boy again just a few minutes after he trained with Gohan. He had asked his master to allow him to go around their training area for a while, and to his surprise, he saw the very same boy earlier, sitting on a corner of the wilderness, alone and seemingly very depressed. However, when Trunks made his way to him, the boy's raven eyes snapped open, and he immediately fled.

"Hey, wait up!" Trunks called out as he sprinted after the boy, for he wanted to talk to him badly. Somehow, he felt something for the boy, as if they shared a certain bond... of friendship, perhaps. However, the boy kept running, and Trunks was getting desperate. "Come on! Slow down!" he yelled as he continue to run after Goten, his determination being his fuel to get to the other boy.

And by some miracle, Trunks managed to catch the boy. He dove towards Goten's feet and his sudden assault caused the other boy to yell in shock. However, there were no hostile feelings between them, for even if they were both down on the floor already, covered in dust and sand, they just laughed. They laughed as if they were best of friends, as if they had known each other for their entire lives.

When their laughing fit was over, they squatted on the ground right next to each other and stared at the world that spread before them in silence. Then Trunks started talking, although why he did so, he did not know. He talked about his life. His dreams. His ambitions. His fears. His pain. He talked about it as if he was talking to his best friend, even though he was with a complete stranger at that time.

Well... not really a complete stranger, although Goten was certainly not Mirai Trunks' best friend...

"Trunks?" Goten asked rather absent-mindedly as he stared at the setting sun with concerned yet lonely eyes; his black, spiky hair moving in synchronization with the soft breeze.

However, the other saiyajin turned to him in complete surprise. "H-how did you know my name?!"

"I... I..." Goten stuttered and then he got up and began to run. However, Trunks grabbed his arm before he could go any further, and looked at him straight in the eyes as he once again asked Goten how in the world did he know his name. But Goten didn't want to tell him, even if a part of him wanted to. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" he yelled as he threw Trunks to the ground, and then, he ran.

"Come back!" Trunks screamed as he saw the boy fade away into a blur at a distance. "Wait, don't go! Please, come back! I... I don't even know your name!"

"Trunks, I told you. He's just like the rest."

Trunks got up and spun around to see his teacher standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and with a frown on his face. However, Trunks refused to accept that the boy was just like the rest. "No, he's not!" he protested. "He's just scared! He's not like all the rest, Gohan! I felt it! And I'm going to catch him---"

"No," Gohan said sternly. "We don't have time, Trunks. I told you that earlier. We don't have time to play hide-and-seek with that kid. And didn't I tell you not to hang out with him?!"

"Maybe he can help us with the androids!" Trunks exclaimed with hopeful eyes. "You felt his power level, Gohan. He's strong! And he's good! I mean, if he was with the androids, he would have---"

"I don't trust him."

"Why?!" Trunks snapped angrily, suddenly feeling defensive and protective of his newfound friend. He didn't know why he felt that way, but he just did. To Gohan, the kid might be a stranger, but to him, the boy was not. He was... some sort of... long-lost friend, finally found.

"I don't want to see you by him again," Gohan said sternly instead. "And I'm saying that for the last time. We must be careful, Trunks. We know that the androids are our enemies, but we don't know who their allies are. And that's the dangerous part. Trusting people as easily as you did earlier will put you and our future in danger."

Trunks still refused to accept that. "But Gohan, he's nice! I swear he is! And everything will be alright, so don't---"

"STOP ACTING LIKE NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN!" Gohan yelled as his overprotectiveness took over. "Trunks, face the truth! We are the two remaining defenders of this world, and we are in a world where danger lurks at all places. A world where ANYONE can be the enemy. I can be killed. You can be killed. Anybody can."

Silence took over as they stared into each other's eyes. A few moments later, however, Trunks averted his eyes and looked away, indicating that Gohan had won the battle. The older saiyajin looked at the direction where Goten disappeared to, then turned back to look at Trunks with an extremely concerned look as he said, "Trust your friends... but choose them wisely."