Time Twisting.
Vegeta was awfully silent.
Not his normal brooding self, but really really quiet and distracted. The only time that she ever remembered him being that was… was before he made the decision to go hunt the androids, to protect her and her son, before he died trying.
What was he brooding over now?
Bulma did not push him though. She didn't want to upset him any further. He was very tense. The only thing he commented on was the fact that they left out a lot of battle details.
"He never said how any of them were hurt or killed, just that it happened," he had frowned deeply.
"They were traumatized enough. Do they have to tell you about every little punch." She said. "The outcome would be the same."
He just gave a grunt at that and went back to brooding.
…………………
Cyrus felt refreshed and warm. It had been a week longer than he had planned to remain in bed but the cold would not let him leave the covers.
He was relieved that the shivers did not come again as he walked around the room. It had been an extra long week it seemed. He stretched and was so thankful for the feel of the warm sun on his skin as he looked out the window.
He was still scared to see how much damage was done to his arm. He knew it was bad from the look on Benot's face and the way Crystal joked about how she could hardly notice it.
He could see the yard and Benot was out there with Junior and he believed the other boy's name was Boxer, and they were training together. He did seem to be enjoying himself even though he would grumble sometimes at how he wished he didn't have to train anymore and wished for a peaceful life.
He hoped he could grant that and grant it soon.
With Vegeta here, he probably could.
He frowned though. Vegeta had to go along with it too. He looked and saw that he was watching the boy's spar with each other, hovering over Soyna who was reading a book and watching them at the same time. He frowned deeper. There were so many similarities. He really missed mom. Seeing this younger and happier version did not help him feel any better.
Then Bulma appeared with drinks for everyone.
He saw Vegeta smile as he accepted the drink.
How could he get him to agree to leave?
He would have to give her up. The one person that was able to turn him around and make him a better person than he ever could be if it had not been for her. How could he ask that?
But he knew he would. He would love to stay here in this relative peace and play with his aunt and uncles that he will never have back in the other time and have a mother who was alive and well.
But it wouldn't be real.
He could never have his father back. Flint. Flare. …all of them. They did not deserved what happened to them.
The world crashed down on his shoulders again and even though everyone looked so happy outside, he knew that it wouldn't last for long. He knew that something bad was happening. He knew it very well that some enemy was coming.
Something always came and in this time, it was the most dangerous of all. This time did not have much of the enemies that his family had already fought and defeated. Buu. Bebi. And all the others that always came up! It could be disastrous here. If he learned nothing from the time travel it would be that with every piece that you tampered with another got worse at the end.
He figured that was why his time was all screwed up. He actually knew it. It was the most stable time, the one in the center. This time was stable also but not as much, it was a little off center but it was steady. But all the others, were very unstable and causing a lot of problems.
Of course, he was not looking forward to explaining as to why that was.
He looked back to Vegeta.
He had a lot of memories. He had all the dragon's, a lot of Goku's and his mothers as well. Of course, he didn't tell anyone that. He understood Vegeta a little bit more because of Goku's memories and how strong his pride was and how much he had changed but he also remembered how quick it was for him to revert.
Her rubbed the scar on his cheek.
It all started with the stupid scar.
"Well," he said out loud. "I guess I should go ruin their day."
…………………………………
Crystal always picked out the best clothes for him. He partially liked the simple green shirt that she had bought him with the high collar and the tan cargo pants. He was even happy to see a new pair of boots for him as well. She was very good and picking out clothes.
He looked in the mirror.
Sometimes, Crystal would say that he looked like his father. He couldn't see it. Grandma ChiChi once said that he looked a lot like her father. He guessed that was where he got the size from. He never thought he would be bigger than, well, anyone. He had no intentions of ever growing a beard.
He brushed his hair as neatly as he could, but knew it wouldn't last long. His hair had a mind of it's own sometimes.
He had to face them all now.
He could feel the dragon moving on his skin. He was still very active today and knew that he should still take it easy, but he didn't think that waiting any longer would be a good idea. He had to talk to Vegeta. He wanted to hopefully get it resolved and life back to normal before they had to fight someone else.
He had to agree.
He couldn't undo all that he had repaired.
He couldn't bear that thought of all the time wasted, just to end so badly.
He started to walk out of the house and walked by Brennen. He could feel the intensity of the glare that he was getting from him. He also knew that Benot was getting the same glare and hardly the fatherly feeling that he got from the other Brennen. He knew it was because Soyna was paying them so much attention. Especially him. He heard Brennen grumbling to Raymond about how he did not like how his wives attentions were turning.
He thought it was rather humorous to hear that Brennen was such a jealous man. He didn't give any indication of that in the other time. He also thought it was funny. If he knew he was jealous of two of her own children…. But then, he couldn't tell him that.
He quickly left the room. No need to antagonize the man.
Benot saw him first. He could tell by the way that he tensed up and the smile left his face. Then everyone turned to him. He was happy to see Soyna stand and smile brightly at him. She was the first to reach him.
"Are you sure you should be up?" she asked with one hand on his arm and another reaching to his forehead. He just smiled and let her.
"I am better now. Thank you," he said as she pulled away. It was so hard to look at her.
It tore at his heart. He missed his mother so much. He missed his family.
Benot looked like had had some fans. Junior - sorry – 'Geta and Boxer were looking at him as he remembered how he looked up to his uncle when he was little, even though 'Geta was quite a bit bigger than he had been. They were looking at him anxiously.
He did not tell either his brother or Crystal how things had to be fixed this time. It was going to be different that all the other times that he fixed.
This time, they would be left behind.
He frowned again, even with the comforting touch of his mother on his arm, (and the glare of Brennen's eyes) and the calmness of the day, he could almost feel the turmoil coming.
He looked to Vegeta. "I need to speak with you."
"You should eat first," Soyna said. "There is plenty in the kitchen."
He was hungry but… "I will eat later. I must speak to Vegeta."
He frowned deeply but nodded his head and walked forward. Benot walked forward also.
"You can keep training the boys," Cyrus said with a smile that somehow felt fake. "I just need to talk to him. You know what is going to happen." He hated lying to his brother. He wondered if he saw it? He hoped not.
"but…" Benot said.
Boxer and 'Geta smiled. "Yeah! You can show us how to do that energy beam! That was so cool!" Boxer said and jumped up and down. 'Geta was a little more reserved. Not much, but a little.
He looked a disappointed that he was not going to be included in the conversation. It was a good thing Crystal was not around right now. He was pretty sure that they would start arguing with each other again. Crystal would probably want in on the conversation as well, and he did not want that.
"Enjoy yourself," he said and felt that fake smile on his face again.
He seemed to accept it. He looked to Vegeta and he led the way. He saw the look Soyna was giving him as well. Just like mom.
………………….
"Well?" he said. What was the boy waiting for? What other bad new could he possibly have to tell him?
Cyrus chewed his lip and ran his hand through his hair as he took a seat in Bulma's lab. He didn't know where else he could take the boy and not worry about the privacy being interrupted. The boy obviously had something to tell him and only him. The stupid grin that he had been giving Benot was a give away that he didn't want him there. Damn him for acting like his father!
Cyrus gave a little sigh and looked at his lap. It was as if he couldn't look at him right now.
His voice sounded low as he began to talk. "Did you know how Goku and Bulma met?"
"No and I don't care!" Vegeta said. What the hell was he getting at?
"You should. It is important," Cyrus said, now able to look up. His eyes! He took a step back as he looked into the boy's eyes. They were not how troubled a boy's eyes should be. He looked back down at his lap again. "Did you know that she had been hunting for the dragonballs?"
He didn't answer.
"She just happens to stumble across a boy and join his journey. Do you know why she was hunting the dragonballs?"
Was he expecting him to answer? He continued. Guess not.
"She was wanted to find her prince. Marry him and life happily ever after." He said. "She wanted nothing more than love and a family and happiness."
"What is your point?" he growled.
"She never made that wish, but she got it," he said.
He just stared at the oddly wizened boy. He couldn't even think.
"She married you and had a family and had a wonderful life that made her happy," Cyrus said and now looked at the ceiling. "She knows how much you cared for her, even if you couldn't say it. You showed it. She knew."
He wanted to get angry at him for saying such things but Cyrus voice continued and he really did not want those pained eyes to turn back to him.
"I traveled a lot," Cyrus said, now rubbing some dust off his boot. "A lot. We have been though many times and seen the aftermath of what you have done just to be with her."
"What?" He snapped now. "What are you saying?"
"You used the time travel machine to really screw things up," Cyrus said. "You didn't know that you were doing that. You were just looking to fill the emptiness that she left in you, but it didn't work. She will die in this time too. She will die and you will have to mourn all over again and you can't handle her death. All you do is keep traveling further and further back." He looked up and those troubled eyes stared right at him again and held him in place.
"A person can not remain sane seeing the ones they love die so many times," Cyrus said.
"What are you saying?" he growled but he understood what he was saying.
"You crack, Vegeta. You crack and you crack good and hard," he said, those eyes still holding him. He wished he would look back at the ceiling.
"Of course," his eyes turned to his lap. "The Bulma at 16 was very different from the Bulma that you knew here or even met on Namek. She was still nothing more than a girl with dreams and had a problem with dating trouble makers."
He frowned, but Cyrus smiled. "Well, I guess she never got over that one huh?" he chuckled at his own joke and looked at the ceiling again. "You did not take the rejection well, especially when she chose Yamcha over you."
Bulma? Rejecting him? For scar face? How could that ever happen?
"Believe me. It happened and you really lost it then." Cyrus said. "That was really hard to fix. It really drained me to fix that time."
"Fix?"
"All the times you went to created alternates. Some crowded each other out and overlaps were happening in the alternates. There is a limit of alternates, did you know that? Two is usually all that can be held and I believe 5 is the maximum, depended on where you are positioned in the weave of things. But there was over 40 alternates and I had to fix everyone. The pattern was marred and I had to fix it and I fixed it and you cannot destroy it. I put to much work into it." He looked up. "I have fixed it and all there is the part where you make sure things do not slip again."
He just blinked at the boy and didn't like the way that his eyes were focused on him. They looked like the dragon's eyes, not a boy's.
"What can I do?" he breathed.
"You have to go back to where it all started. Where the time started to twist and straighten it out again." He said and stood. "I can send you back there." He rubbed the cheek with the scar again. There was a scary determination that was in there and there was also fear. "And it has to work."
He could hardly breath with how the boy was looking at him.
"You have to stop this," he said and rubbed the scar again. "If you and mom don't fight…" he took a deep breath. "If there is no feud, things will turn out okay. They will turn out real good then." He said and rubbed his cheek a little harder, as if he were trying to erase the scar. "No one will die. Everyone will be happy again."
He frowned. "Can't you go further back?"
He shook his head. "I cannot bring her back Vegeta. She died of natural causes after a long full life. I can't do that. I tried that." His voice grew low. "It just makes things worse. She dies of much worse things if I try that and they are just as unstoppable."
"Why would I want to go back?" he said. "I have her here! I have her for now. It is better than not having her at all!" How could he ask him to leave her? He had her. He had her back and he couldn't bear to be without her! Why would he want her to go back to that horror that he left?
"It doesn't work that way!" Cyrus said and it was almost a growl. He stood from his stood and hovered over him. "Do you know what caused her stroke? You never asked Raymond but I found out. If she doesn't die of the stroke then she dies of cancer. That is what sent the blood clot to her brain. It was much less painful than seeing her crumbling under that disease! Be glad that she did not suffer!"
He did growl as he sat back down. "Quit being so selfish!"
"I am being the selfish one!" He growled right back.
"Yes!" Cyrus snapped. Vegeta could see some of the dragon peaking out into his hands. The dragon's claws looked like they were forming there. "Everything is at risk!"
"I was fine until you showed up!" he growled.
"No you weren't!" Cyrus said. His eyes narrowed. "You have to do this Vegeta! You have too! I can't bear this burden! I can't fix it again! I can't! There is no other way! I have done everything. He will be free of me if I can't fix it and Shelong cannot be without rules or without end! It cannot be!"
"You call me selfish!" He growled. "You are just doing this because of whatever happened to you! I have a chance to make up for my wrongs. Here!"
"What about the wrongs that you did in the other time!" Cyrus said. "Do you think I am enjoying this! Do you think that I enjoyed seeing my family torn to shreds and knowing how to fix it and not being able to do it! I have the power now! But I need you to cooperate with me!"
Was he fighting tears? Vegeta looked away. "I am making up for what I can." He said and walked out. He couldn't face the boy anymore.
He heard a frustrated scream as he left the room. He didn't look back but he was certain that he was crying and that his hands most likely looked like they were tattooed with dragon claws.
He could only fix what he knew how to fix.
His stomach twitched and his head ached. He decided it was best if he went for a walk.
…………..