The Years After
Chapter Eleven
When Trunks returned to us the following day we (Bulma, Tomoko and I) were there to greet him. Tomoko ran into his arms and they spun around together. Trunks grew grave when he saw Bulma and I.
"Mother, I Goku everything. He was returning after defeating Furiza on Namek wearing odd clothing from the planet 'Yadrat.'"
Bulma nodded.
"I remember that day. You, Trunks, aren't in my memory anywhere. I was wearing that stupid afro wasn't I?"
Trunks nodded and we all laughed softly. Bulma pulled consciously at her now dead straight blue hair.
"I told Goku everything. I brought him aside and gave him the heart medicine. I told him of the Androids and what a horror they were and how Gohan and the others all died eventually at their hands. I didn't tell him of you being my mother until the very end."
Bulma sweat dropped.
"Trunks…Goku was never the brightest bulb in the dark! He might spill and you may never be born!"
Trunks shook his head.
"No…I think Goku can keep secrets."
Turning to me Trunks said,
"Goku is an incredible man ChiChi. I'm glad I got to meet your husband."
I nodded and smiled at Trunks.
"He was."
Trunks handed his mother the time machine capsule and Bulma slipped it into her pocket. Taking Tomoko 's hand, she and Trunks walked away from us and into what was left of West City. When they returned, despite their age, I knew they'd be engaged.
Trunks proposed to Tomoko that day kindly. Tomoko said yes and taking each other's hands they promised not to marry until they were at least nineteen. I knew proposing at this age was extremely old fashioned and that Goku and I had been married young too, but neither Bulma nor I protested, for we never could know how many days left we had until the Androids discovered us.
Trunks and Tomoko were still both sixteen.
Trunks told us that we would have to wait three years until he could travel back in time once again to see if everything went well. We all agreed "yes" and in that time Trunks trained. When he hurt himself, Tomoko would dress his wounds, and both were constantly together whenever they could be. I didn't tell Bulma or Trunks of what Videl that fateful day she arrived at my home. I decided to keep it her and Gohan 's privacy. In this way I could serve my son a favor.
Three years passed and again Trunks took off into his capsule. This time he stayed in the past for over a month. He was nineteen years old. I had just turned forty six while Bulma was fifty one.
Oddly enough, it had been six years since Gohan 's death and nineteen years since Goku 's. Tomoko, now eighteen and a half, celebrated their lives by cooking a fine dinner for me and herself. We celebrated in quick haste, since soon other burnt out villages and cities required our help.
The Androids now had ravaged every part of Earth. I knew that they grew increasingly bored and if there were no more cities to burn, they might aim their blows at the Earth. That could destroy Earth and them being Androids would maybe survive and take off to invest our galaxies. Time would only tell.
In the month of Trunks' absense I visited Kami house by myself one dreary day. The house had been deserted for years and dust had formed in every nook and cranny of it. The last I had heard from it was that Roshi and Oolong had stowed away in a submarine under the water. They had not emerged for nearly seventeen years, since they had disappeared two years after Goku 's death. I took them for dead.
Running my finger along the window sill I looked out along the ocean and felt the ocean breeze sting my eyes. When Trunks returned he would hopefully be strong enough to defeat the Androids.
There is still hope and there always will be.
A week later I was tending to my garden. Lately I had grown big, bright lilies and roses, tulips and sun flowers. I heard Tomoko cry from inside and hurrying out to me was a big smile on her beautiful face.
"Trunks is home, mother! He's home and he's gone to fight the Androids!"
I gasped and wrung my hands together.
"Really?"
Tomoko nodded, tears shining in her eyes.
"Bulma said he was stronger! She could feel it in her gut!"
When Tomoko and I piled into our air car and took off, I knew deep inside my gut that the end was near.
The end of the Androids, I mean.
We arrived at Capsule Corporation with beads of sweat dotting both of our foreheads. Climbing out off our air car Tomoko ran to Bulma who was waiting for us at the gate of Capsule Corp.
"Is Trunks back?" Tomoko cried. "Is he alright?"
Bulma pulled Tomoko into a hug of joy. She pulled back and smiled at the both of us.
"The Androids are dead! Trunks has defeated them!"
We all whooped with joy and laughter, tears of relief and happiness washing over our faces. In all of these years, the years of wonders, we had survived! What stories we would tell our children! What tales of adventure.
This was when Trunks came out to see us. Taking Tomoko in his arms he spun her around and they hugged.
"I can home," he murmured into their embrace. Tomoko smiled.
"You are most welcome."
Everyone who had survived piled into the streets of the broken cities and cheered once the news had spread and ale and wine long forgotten passed around and food cooked up and prepared to all. Everyone dressed in fine western clothing or took to wearing traditional kimonos. It was the day of rebirth, as historians would call it. It was not all celebration though.
"WE'RE SAVED! THE ANDROIDS ARE DEAD!"
Tomoko, Bulma, Trunks and I went to the graves of our friends and family and prayed. I don't know why we did it but we laughed gaily as we told our lost ones of the defeat of their murderers. There were all smiles, with tears mixed in.
The revenue the Androids caused was great. Nearly one third of Earth 's population was finished in with the rubble of the destruction. Nearly every family I knew of had lost a relative and the sorrow was great.
Before Tomoko and Trunks married we all set to work donating to money to the small funds that worked day and night to restore Earth. It would take many long, long years without the dragon balls. In a small way though, this was best. By this time everyone knew that we had to do the best with what we had. Trunks and Tomoko worked hard. Tomoko 's healing remedies helped thousands. I traveled to Karin, who had survived after all these years, and received bags upon bags of senzu beans.
I would often ask Trunks in the years after if he would take credit for defeating the Androids once and for all, but he shook his head.
"No…I think it's best if the people spend their time paying for repairs and not just one man."
Once we healed as many as we could we all set to work building. It would take time, but it seemed that Trunks' heroism supplied us with more.
Two beautiful years after the end of the nightmare, Trunks and Tomoko wed under the stars, both in traditional kimonos. It was a quick wedding for we would soon have to return rebuilding our cities. Tomoko had her hair tied up with small white flowers and wore no make up, since she didn't need it. If anything, she looked like a living flower herself, beautiful and alive. It slowly began to snow, a good sign I thought, since it was a sign that Goku was watching.
Tomoko lifted up hers arms and began to dance. Trunks joined her by her side and man and wife they danced under the falling snow.