Ihyou ni chikadzuku
(Getting acquainted with the unexpected)
They all stared. The few who knew him had a hard time believing the man before them was actually the young son of Vegeta and Bulma who came from the future all those years ago. He had grown old and strong. He was a bit taller than Gohan, muscled up and broad-shouldered. His lavender hair was made into a long braid that came all the way down his waist and his beard was starting to show. He was wearing his typical gray pants, heavy military boots, a tight black muscle shirt and a leather jacket, both with no sleeves. He also wore black leather fighting gloves and a black cap that read Capsule Corp.
"Ossu" he said in a suddenly surprising semi-gruff voice. With his looks, almost everyone missed he was rounding his forties.
Goku was the first one to greet him, stepping closer and extending his hand to him. Mirai no Trunks frowned. The chibi seemed so familiar and on top of it, he seemed to know him. He didn't know what to think of this and reached to shake the small hand as he sensed the boy's ki. The all too familiar pure energy and the strong grip in the chibi's hand caused Mirai no Trunks to gasp in shock, his eyes widening.
"Goku-san..."
"Hai. So what do you think? Isn't it a little creepy?" Chibi Goku grinned at him, amused tail lashing behind him.
"How did this happen?"
"Some little scum made a wish with Dragonballs" Vegeta said stepping closer too, arms folded in front of his chest.
Mirai no Trunks turned to look at his father but his attention was soon turned to chibi Goku as he heard him say again "But don't worry. It's not so bad" Mirai smiled. He then looked at his father again and shook his hand too. Then he went towards Bulma and gave her a long hug.
"You sure have changed, Trunks!" Kuririn said.
"Kuririn-san! Look at you, you've changed a lot yourself! What's with the hair?"
Just then, he caught a glimpse on Juuhachi. He tensed and locked his intense gaze to her cold one until Goku's voice cut them off "She's been with us ever since"
"And I married her!" Kuririn added standing by her side excitedly. "We have a daughter"
Mirai couldn't hide his bafflement, and when he realized everyone had noticed his reaction he joked "Now, I'm not sure I came back to the same timeline I left back then, ne?"
Kuririn chuckled and Mirai turned his gaze to the rest of the group, for the first time noticing the other Trunks. He approached, watching his other self's confusion and extended his hand.
"Hello Trunks. Long time no see."
Trunks was still in a daze, gapping slightly and could do nothing more that take his mirai self's hand to convince himself the man was real.
"Gomen. It's just hard to believe you're looking at yourself and not exactly in the mirror"
"I understand" Mirai smiled.
"Hyaa" Bra cut in. "What do they call you back home?"
"Just Trunks. And you are?" he asked only guessing what her answer would be.
"I'm Bra, Trunks' sister" she said gripping the Gendai no Trunks' arm.
He had seen it coming. The girl looked so much like her mother. His smile only grew wider and he turned back to look at Vegeta and Bulma. Then he looked back to his other self's sister and opened his arms to her.
"Come here and give your other oniisan a hug."
"Aww, you're so sweet!" she said giving him the hug. "Not like Mr. Annoying here." Trunks gave her a glare and Mirai just laughed. Then he turned to Gohan.
"Gohan-san" he said extending his hand. Gohan shook it with a grin. "I've missed you."
"You've been missed here, too."
At that moment, Pan, who was standing by her father's side spoke "You look like Trunks, but you're not him. Explain. Who are you?"
"Pan-chan! Where are your manners?" Videl scolded from behind her.
"Well, Pan-chan. This is Mirai no Trunks" Wide eyes and a gawk replaced her tough look.
"THE Mirai no Trunks?"
"Hai"
"Sugoi! I'm Son Pan. Gohan's my tousan" she announced happily. "And she's my kaasan" she signaled towards Videl, who was now next to her daughter.
Mirai seemed thoughtful for a few seconds and then greeted them warmly.
"You know something, you look much better than Trunks considering the fact that you're older" Pan blurted out.
"Pan!" Trunks whined.
"Well Trunks. It's not a secret that you and Goten ojisan are much outta shape."
"Oh, come on, Pan-chan! Why do you always have to say that?" it was Goten's turn to whine. Mirai no Trunks turned to him, blinked, then blinked again, visage blank.
"Oh, hi. I'm Goten, Gohan's brother and Trunks is my best friend"
"Wow. This time line sure has changed. But, anyhow, I'm very happy to see you all"
They all entered the house and after offering Mirai no Trunks some food, invaded the living room. After they were seated, they all had in mind the same impending question, which was what had brought their mirai friend back.
"So, Trunks, what brings you back?" Bulma questioned before anyone else could.
"That... Well. It's Mother's Day and... " He took off the cap and started playing with it. "MY mom died a year ago and I couldn't help but missing her. I figured I should come to see you and maybe I wouldn't feel so nostalgic"
"Oh, Trunks!" Bulma was moved and she felt so sad that her son from the future, though a grown man, had to go through such a loss. Not even she had gone through that and it tore her heart to see her son suffering. She hugged him. "I'm so sorry. How... how did it happen?"
"She had been sick for a long time. It was because of the pollution and the conditions brought by the chaos caused by the jinzouningen. She died quietly though, and I did everything within my power to help her."
Everyone was shocked to hear of Mirai no Bulma's death, even Vegeta. Then something else dawned on Bulma and she spoke again "If she died a year ago... how have you managed?"
Mirai no Trunks was sitting on the couch, leaning forward, his forearms resting on his thighs, staring absently at his cap while playing with it. He smiled, and looked at Bulma.
"I have been busy. My family takes most of my time."
Absent eyes, once lost in space, were all directed to him. He realized none of them were expecting that. "What? You didn't think I would have stayed alone for the rest of my life, did you?"
"..."
"Well, I do have a family. A beautiful wife, seven children and one more on the way." Eyes widened, people gasped and Vegeta choked on his drink. All stared at him in disbelief and Mirai no Trunks couldn't help but smirk.
"Why so many brats!? I was about to lose my mind with these two!" Vegeta got out too quickly for Bulma's taste.
"Vegeta! How many times have I told you not to call your children brats!" He just grunted and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"You see, after I destroyed the jinzouningen and Cell, I was finally able to take in the real magnitude of the destruction caused by them, not to mention all the people they killed. We have to repopulate. I'm planning on having some more children. We need all the help we can get."
"Seven saiyajin kids!" Kuririn exclaimed in a daze.
"And remember he said his wife's pregnant" Yamcha said still baffled.
"Poor woman"
"And... umm... What's her name? " Trunks asked his mirai self uneasily.
Mirai no Trunks looked at Gendai no Trunks. He knew why the boy had asked that. He knew himself. A smirk slowly crept its way on Mirai's lips and after a pause, he said "Shunrei."
A look of concentration crossed Trunks' face. Obviously, he was searching his brain for somebody named Shunrei in his life. 'What a pity. He'll never know what life with her means.'
~*~
The yard was lighted by the little piece of crescent moon hanging from the starred sky and the rounded lamps used in the gazebo. The shadow sneaked through the place with familiarity, sizing its surroundings for some sort of presence. Stealthily, it made its way to the driveway, avoiding all other vehicles but one... the Sons'.
The shadow's hand grasped the handle and pulled, opening the door wide enough to allow entry. Slowly, it stuck its hand under the back seat, probing the area with interest. After just a few seconds, it found what it was looking for and pulled it out.
"It's good I'm always prepared" Chibi Goku's voice was heard from the darkness in the car.
He proceeded to take off his boarding scholar's attire and don his gi: sand yellow bottoms, light blue top and white sash. He then made a couple of simple punches and kicks reveling in the feeling of freedom. He hastily made his way back to the living quarters through the backyard, following the same path he used before.
~*~
"Well, I personally think it's wonderful you have such a numerous family" Bulma said defensively, raising her chin in pride.
"Arigatou okaasan. I'm glad you agree."
"I still think it's insanity" Vegeta said again, like more to himself than to anyone else in the room.
Bulma was ready to start her tirade of scolding on her husband when she was suddenly stopped by her mirai son's hand on her shoulder. He then proceeded to take a seat next to his father and without looking at him started "I remember from my last visit that you were always grieving over the fact that there were no more full-blooded saiyajin left. But there are half-breeds you know, and in my time line there are 8 and a half that carry your blood. Doesn't that make you proud? That the saiyajin race is not dead just because of you?"
If it was possible, Vegeta frowned even deeper, then he smirked, looking up to his mirai son's face. "If you put it that way..."
Mirai no Trunks smiled, satisfied with himself for he could convince his father. He stood up and led to his former seat.
"But I still think it's insanity" came Vegeta's voice again. Mirai no Trunks looked back to him and sagged. He was doing it on purpose.
"So... What do you do for a living?" Gohan asked "I'm sure by now you know that raising a saiyajin child is not an easy task. And we're talking about seven here."
"You're right, Gohan-san. It's been anything but easy. I'm head of CC right at the moment. I was chosen as mayor some years ago" he smiled. "It was good while it lasted, for I could help a lot of people. But I'm glad it's over. Then I could just spend time with my family, take care of okaasan, train my bunch and be a husband all over again."
"Wow... Mayor... Who would have thought?" Kuririn exclaimed with shock.
"Well, now I'm more into the lab."
"Are you a scientist like your mom?" He heard Videl ask.
"Well, she taught me almost everything she knew about science and electronics, cause anyway, there were no more threats jeopardizing the new world we're building. And before you say anything otousama, yes, I'm still training."
"Well, at least that edge of insanity didn't affect your nature."
Mirai no Trunks chuckled. Even Vegeta had changed. Anybody foreign to their circle would think he was being harsh and snide, but somehow Mirai no Trunks knew better. His father was being playful.
"Anou, after okaasan died, I dedicated to enhance the time machine."
"Oh, really? And what enhancements did you make?" Bulma asked sitting next to him.
"You won't believe this. Accidentally, I changed the structural configuration inside the vortex generator and then I found out that it triples the benefits in fuel combustion. So, while before I could only make two leaps without a refill, now I can make five!" Bulma was astonished, while the others didn't understand a word.
"But that ain't all. I can also control what TL I'm leaping to, though it needs testing. I'm planning to visit other TLs before going back."
"What's TL?" Pan asked him from her seat on the floor.
"Time line. There can be infinite time lines in the stream, each one created when a certain situation differs between one and the other."
"Oh" she said still trying to understand "It's complicated."
"It is indeed. That's why I want to study them better. And who knows, maybe I can find good fighters I can spar with."
"Sounds interesting" Yamcha inquired.
"Can I come?" Pan jumped from the floor to face Mirai no Trunks with pleading eyes.
"Oh, no you don't, young lady!"
"But that's not fair! I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself. I proved it on the Dragonball hunt!"
"Gomen, Pan-chan, but I agree with your mother" Gohan brought out his two cents.
The young half-breed child sat with an angry pout on her face, arms folded in front of her chest.
"The parents have spoken, kid" Mirai no Trunks inquired "And to tell you the truth, I said the same thing to my kids."
"What is that noise?" Vegeta grumbled looking outside from his seat on the couch.
Everybody directed their gazes towards the large window without moving from their seats. It was a mixed up noise, sounding like an engine in revolution, and then a whirling sound... turbines. I know that sound, Mirai no Trunks reasoned. Then, realization dawned and wide-eyed, he let panic take over. He jumped off the couch and ran to the exit yelling the only thing that came up to mind.
"It's Hope!!!!!!"