Vegeta was enjoying the peace in this time and the less complicated family connections. It was odd seeing Soyna and Junior again. They were so young and innocent compared to their counterparts back in his own time.
Soyna was so different in many ways. She was still strong and vociferous and sometimes came across as harsh. One of his traits, he had been told. But she was a lot softer than the Soyna he knew. It took him a little bit to get over the fact that she was married to that Brennen fellow. The nervous blond guy that he remembered vaguely glaring at in the other time. He was around during that Ligh incident. He did remember the things that Soyna told him and he took an immediate dislike to him. But this Brennen sure treated her like she was a goddess. He could see that his son disliked him as well. But this Soyna, was not yet betrayed.
And from what Trunks told him, she should not be in this time.
He took care of Krad and Ligh and that whole armada: The reason why he was injured.
"She does not know any of that and you will not tell her any of that history," Trunks had said sharply. "She will not be jaded. I will have raised one of my families right, so watch what you say."
He nodded and agreed. He wasn't here to destroy any more family. He was here to be with Bulma.
He was quite happy and allowed himself to feel that emotion for a change. They did not ask him why he came anymore. Bulma must have told Trunks something because they just did not bring it up.
He started a new relationship with all of his grandchildren here. He had Soyna as a sparing partner again. She was not as strong as her counterpart but she was as polished as smooth. She could surprise him at times as well. He also enjoyed a friendship with his namesake, Boxer and the little Bra. Boxer immediately wanted to train with him. "One day, I will beat Soyna and 'Geta!" he insisted. "I just have to wait until I get bigger."
Of course, 'Geta would just laugh at him and Soyna would get that crooked smile on her face.
He was happy.
Soyna only threatened him once and it did unnerve him slightly. "If you hurt grandma," she had said in the heat of a fight, "I will not hold anything back."
It wasn't exactly a death threat but it was close.
It was a month he had spent with his family here. A whole blissful month when he woke to see Bulma looking at him sadly.
"What?" he said. He was wondering what he did wrong.
"I love having you back," she said and cuddled close to him.
Where was she going with this? He held her in his arms. "Don't you have to go back to your family? Your real family?"
"I never plan on leaving," he said.
"But what about everyone else? What about them? Don't they need you?" She said and gave him a look that confused him.
"I am with you," he said. "That is all that matters."
She pulled away from his slightly. "You have not talked about much of what happened." She pulled the blankets tightly around her as if she were cold, even though the room was comfortably warm.
"I have no need to." He said simply. He did not need too. He did not want too. There was no need to bring up those painful issues up here when he was happy again.
She gave him a sad smile. "How did I die, Vegeta?" She said in a whisper. "I want to know and don't you dare try not to tell me. I have the right to know. How did I die?"
He looked away from her and closed his eyes and regretted it. He had seen her in that silk lined coffin, with her skin was so cold…
He threw the blankets off and began to dress. He never wanted to remember that image again.
"How did I die, Vegeta?" Her voice more forceful now, her body looked as if she were tensing up for a fight.
"I was not there," he said as he dressed. He couldn't even blink without seeing his fingers impressed into the simple stone marker. The marker that was a painful reminder that he was alone.
"You are still avoiding the question."
"Trunks was there," he said. It must have been horrible for him. "And Junior was there for her. I wasn't."
"What happened?"
He took a deep breath. "Raymond called it a stroke."
The room was silent.
"There was nothing I could do." He said and walked out of the room. He couldn't see her and think of her death at the same time. It was all very confusing.
………………..
"I am to old to walk you to school!" Soyna complained.
"Don't complain to me," 'Geta said. "Talk to our father." He said and scowled. He didn't particularly care for the fact that Soyna had to yet again walk him to school. Just because he skipped a couple of days.
"You are the one that missed, how many was that, two weeks of school." She hissed at him. He got it from all angles for that. Mom, Sis, Grandma, all of them, yelled at him and set his punishment. Of course he did not divulge what he was doing for those two weeks. They didn't ask. They assumed he was goofing off at the arcade or something. He was planning on showing his big sis how much stronger he was after training with Grandpa Vegeta for two weeks straight.
"It was for a good reason."
"Yeah. Right," she sniffed.
Boxer was walking just behind them. He thought it was funny that he was in so much trouble. He liked the fact that Soyna was not mad at him for a change.
It took quite a bit for sis to get angry with him, but it was going to be worth it. It was going to be so worth it.
They arrived at Boxer's school and she scurried him off and told him to behave.
He couldn't wait to show her what he could do now. He was so much stronger now that he had trained with Grandpa Vegeta. He wanted to be as strong as he was.
"School is important," she said as they walked. "I don't want to hear about you skipping any more school." Her voice was stern. Crisp. She was a lot like Grandpa Vegeta. A lot. Grandma had said that all the time, but now he really saw it. Dad was not even like this, but she had that commanding voice that you just had to listen too.
"I won't," he said.
"Training isn't everything," she said as they walked.
Did she know? How could she? He stopped walking.
She turned and gave him that crooked smile. "Are you coming or what?" she said.
He started again. She didn't say anything else to him all the way to school other than embarrassing him by walking him directly into the classroom. Very embarrassing but she didn't say if she knew that he had been training so hard. Damn. He wanted to surprise her with his new moves.
He hoped that she was bluffing but knew that was a false hope. Soyna did not bluff.
………………..
Vegeta smirked. His son is this time was sure different than he remember. He was so laid back compared to his OTHER self. He was playing with Bra who was trying to catch him only to get scooped up into his arms. He was laughing as he threw her up in the air and pretended that he wasn't going to catch her.
He played with Bra like that. He remembered those days fondly. He had never played with his son whimsically. Never. It was always training and preparing.
He frowned. He was never there for his son when he really needed it. Either of them.
"I'm going to get you daddy!" Bra squealed as she ran towards him.
Trunks just laughed and easily dodged her.
She was laughing so hard that she couldn't keep her balance as she turned and ended up on the lawn, laughing.
Trunks tossed his braid behind his back and swooped to pick her up.
Play.
Simple, innocent play.
He never did that as a child. He killed rats and destroyed people for fun. He had to be strong because… he had to please… please…
Damn it.
"So, here you are."
He turned to see Soyna standing there wearing some odd looking clothes. Those people in he hospitals wore things like them. The scrubs were the color of her hair and were tied in the middle with a simple string. They made her look small with her hair all tied up in a neat bun in the back of her head.
She walked towards him and poked a finger in his chest. "I talked with grandma."
"So."
She frowned deeply and had that flash in her eyes. "She was rather upset. She would not talk to me about what was wrong but I am pretty sure that you are the reason." Her finger stabbed him again. "Fix the problem. I do not want her to be upset." She said simply and then grabbed a bag that resembled a purse and walked past him. "Make her happy again."
And then she was gone.
Make her happy again.
If only it were that easy.
……………………………
School was over and the once peaceful house was now full of noise. 'Geta immediately asked if they could go outside and train. "I want to keep up." He said excitedly.
He was a little hesitant. The boy had missed a couple of weeks of school because of his need for training. He didn't mind training the boy. Junior didn't want to train and would never be as skilled as this boy. Junior had so many disadvantages to curb his training… but 'Geta. He was willing and strong and eager.
He was more than happy to help him learn.
"I don't think so."
Soyna. Was she always this good at sneaking into a room?
"But sis," he whined.
"Homework. Now."
"You know, you are not my mother!"
"I know. I'm your sister," she said. "I can hurt you if I want too. That is part of the job description."
He humped and stormed away with stamping feet. She smiled and watched him go and then turned to him. "I need to give off some steam." She nodded her head towards the door.
He smiled. He so enjoyed having his sparing partner back.
……………..
She was sluggish and slow today. She looked frustrated as well. She looked angry too that she wasn't able to match his speed. He could see that look on her face as she was panting and staring at him with flames in her eyes.
"Come on," he growled and invited an attack.
She gave out a scream and lunged.
She could not connect. He did though and sent her into the ground with more force than he intended too. He sometimes forgot that she was not as resilient as he other self.
"I think we are done," he said. "You are not concentrating."
She lay there on the ground panting and glaring at him. "Can't get my power up," she said and he helped her up from the ground. "Just a long day. I'll get you tomorrow."
He just shook his head and looked up at the window and saw the eager face of 'Geta looking down at them. But more importantly, it was the sad smile on Bulma's face from the kitchen. She must have been watching them spar. He had not talked to her all day. He had not meant to avoid her but he could not talk about her death. It was still too hard for him. He knew that he could not avoid it all together.
……………………………….
Trunks had never felt so relaxed and at peace than he felt right now. No worries at all haunted him. He played with his daughter and took her to the park. He met his wife at work and had lunch with her. He helped his mother in the lab for a bit.
The world was at peace and everything seemed so perfect.
He thought nothing could destroy his peaceful day.
Of course, he tried to push back that piece of doubt in the back of his head as his mother looked kind of sad today and the fact that Soyna lost so easily in a sparing match with him.
Seeing Vegeta brought back thoughts of how things went in the other time. Thought that he did not want to think of again.
He didn't know why, today of all days he was thinking of how different things could get with you meddle with time.
He had come back for mom. No other explanation was given. For mom. But what did that mean happened in the other time. Mom wouldn't talk about it and it was like getting blood from a stone from Vegeta.
He sighed heavily and looked over to his wife and littlest girl, Bra. He wanted to get that bliss back. He didn't need to worry about all that other stuff. Everything was peaceful here now.