3 Back Again
Kani: I've updated and revised. *cheers* Boy, listening to .hack//Liminality and .hack//SIGN music (on the Windows Media Player, that is) has proved to be quite inspirational. Hope you like. ^_^
Majin-Bulma: All right! Like I just said, I updated! *is waiting for her hug*
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"Papa!" was the first word out of Trunks' mouth as he, Goten, Gohan, and Goku appeared beside the fallen Saiyajin. The boy dropped to his knees beside his father, gingerly touching the ouji's hand. He yelped as Vegeta squeezed back unmercifully.
"D-damn boy..." The dark prince was having trouble breathing. "Why the hell'd you come back here?" Trunks grit his teeth, a stinging reply on his tongue, but Goku stopped him.
"We felt your ki drop and came back here to find out..." The Saiyajin frowned. "Who did this to you?"
Before Vegeta could reply, a strange-looking machine materialized before them (pretty random, ja?). A powerful ki emanated from within.
Ne? Trunks spun swiftly around. That chi...it's so familiar...but I don't recognize it...! His eyes widened and he almost gasped at what he saw.
A tall machine that looked somewhat like a spaceship rested on the CC mansion's sunlit lawn. For some reason, it looked old and was rust-corroded. But the crowning shock came when Trunks noticed the person exiting the device.
He was the absolute twin of Trunks, only taller and more muscular. He wore black, with the exception of his blue Capsule Corp jacket. Across his back hung a sword.
The other senshi had also noticed this. Gohan sucked in his breath. "Mirai!"
After capsulizing his time machine, Mirai Trunks turned and almost instantly saw them. He half-ran, half-flew to meet them, his eyes—so much like his younger counterpart—opened wide.
"What happened here?!"
****
It had been a week since Mirai Trunks had arrived and Vegeta had explained that he and Totoma had met, fought, and that Vegeta had lost. After being healed by a senzu bean that Gohan had conveniently remembered to being, the Saiyajin prince had been extremely pissed.
"It's been a long time, mini me," Mirai told his younger self. "I last saw you when you were only a few months old."
Trunks didn't reply at first, but frowned at the primitive rock patterns around them. Very interesting.
The two senshi sat together at the mouth of a cave that Trunks had always retreated before to whenever his parents' fights had gotten intense. He had chosen to talk to his future counterpart here because he didn't want his father or Goku interrupting. So, after eating a lunch worthy of two Saiyajins, Mirai had allowed Trunks to take him where they could talk.
Now he was wondering if this wasn't such a good idea.
"I'm almost nine years old now, and Goten-kun's turning seven in a few weeks," the younger hybrid said after a moment, attempting cheerfulness. "How old are you?"
"Just turned eighteen." Mirai unstrapped the sword from across his back. He decided not to beat around the bush any longer. "Why'd you want to talk to me, otouto?"
Otouto? Trunks glanced up at the teenager, who was sitting atop one of the many ledges that jutted out from the cave walls. Mirai was watching him intently, one leg drawn up to his chest and encircled by his clasped hands while the other dangled over the ledge. He raised his eyebrows slightly as he waited for an answer.
"Well," the half-Saiyajin began, not comfortable enough to call his future self "big brother." He swallowed hard. "I guess Father and Goku-san already told you...that Kaasan's...gone." The boy lowered his gaze to the ground, his vision now blurry with unshed tears.
Mirai exhaled a long breath. "They told me," he said softly after a moment. "And I told them that our mother in my dimension had been killed, also."
Trunks raised angry blue eyes. "It was the androids, wasn't it?" he demanded. The purple haired teenager hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Somebody called a 'Henshin'...killed Mom," Trunks continued; his voice dropped. "Totoma Henshin." An inadvertent sob passed the troubled boy's lips.
Automatically, Mirai Trunks moved to comfort his chibi self. "Shh." He wrapped his arms protectively around the boy. "Father might have lost to Totoma now, but I know either he or Goku will win sooner or later...and avenge Mom's death."
"How is that supposed to make me feel better," Trunks muttered darkly, suppressing his tears, but he still sank into his future self's comforting grasp.
Mirai didn't reply, only concentrated on repressing his own urge to cry. But before he could offer any words of comfort, an oddly powerful and unfamiliar ki signature spiked through the air. Identical violet haired heads shot up in the direction of the high power.
Trunks got to his feet, hastily wiping away the tears in his eyes. "Wh-who's ki...is that?"
Without answering, the future warrior wafted to the cave mouth, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding landscape. "I don't know," he said after a moment. "But whatever it is, it's coming this way."
****
"Hyah!" Goku launched a kick, the most powerful one he could muster at 400G. Vegeta was prepared to defend, but the taller Saiyajin suddenly froze in midair. Before the dark ouji could demand an explanation, Goku spoke.
"Did...you feel that, Vegeta?" he panted as he dropped to the ground. "That huge...ki?"
The diminutive prince scowled deeply, cocking his head to one side. After a moment he winced. "Shit!" he growled. "That's my brother's chi!"
Goku nodded. "And it feels like he's headed for Trunks and Mirai."
Needless to say, the two senshi were out of the GR and in the sky faster than supersonic jets could break the sound barrier.
****
"It's getting closer..." Mirai clenched a fist around the hilt of his sword. "Stay back."
In a middle stance, the younger one nodded and miniscule drops of sweat slipping down his face. Just then, Vegeta and Goku appeared, trailing brilliant streaks of orange ki. In SSJ mode, they landed before the two versions of Trunks.
Mirai exhaled a sigh of measured relief. "So you've come," he breathed. "Thank Kami-sama."
"Where is he?" Vegeta demanded, gloved fists tightly clenched. Mirai pointed towards the sun.
"Coming in from the east." He stated the obvious, but no one cared at the moment.
"Wh-what're we going to do...when he comes?" Trunks asked tentatively, slightly embarrassed at how scared he was. After all, this was a ki signature that far surpassed even SSJ3, but no one dared to say it.
Mirai burst into SSJ. "Fight," he said quietly. "What else?"
"Enough with the small talk," Vegeta interrupted. "He's here."
It was a truly amazing sight. A black aura of ki appeared, its dark color stark against the morning sky. Within it flew a man. And as he landed, the others got their first—but certainly not last—look at their new enemy.
Like his brother, Totoma Henshin was a young Henshin by Saiyajin standards, but old when compared to Earth's. He was about Vegeta's height, with piercing black eyes. His black hair, which hung to his shoulders, sported a spiked red stripe down its center from his forehead to the nape of his neck. He wore a sleeveless red shirt, black gi pants, and black gloves. Topped with a long black trench, stud earrings, and boots with spiked soles, Totoma looked to be a punk.
The only visible sign of his dissimilarity to humans was the brown tail coiled tightly around his waist.
"Well, Vegeta," Totoma said as his eyes flicked over his older brother, "You heal hell of a lot faster than I gave you credit for." Vegeta didn't reply.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Goku demanded.
For the first time, the Henshin seemed to notice the others. He regarded the Saiyajins with indifference. "Who are these, oniisama?" he asked, nonchalantly. "Your allies since you've come to Chikyuu?" No response. Totoma smirked. "And who's that?" he added, pointing at the shortest fighter. "Your son?" He snorted. "I thought you had better taste, oniisama, than to integrate with ningen."
Something within the Saiyajin no Ouji seemed to snap. He flared into SSJ2. "Be quiet," he hissed. "Today...I will kill you...for what you did to my mate."
"And isn't that what you said right before I pummeled you last week." Totoma rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, oniisama." He crossed his arms. "Whatever you say."
"All of you, listen!" Vegeta turned halfway to face the other Saiyajins. "I'm fighting him alone. Remember the warrior's code and don't you dare interfere, or there will be hell to pay!"
"But—" Goku was silenced by the shorter one's onyx glare. Without another word, he powered down to his normal state. Mirai followed suit, but they both stayed in fighting stances.
Releasing a fierce kiai (A/N: karate yell, for those of you who don't know martial arts), Vegeta flashed towards his younger brother. Totoma vanished, but appeared above the prince a split second later. Thinking fast, the spiky haired warrior threw himself down, kicking both legs for the Henshin's exposed chest. This time, Totoma dodged to one side. His fist came up, and a crushing hook punch caught Vegeta in the chest. The force of his steel blow sent the prince smashing into the side of a nearby hill.
Trunks clenched his fists. "N-no..."
Chuckling, the red and black haired Henshin floated over to the crater where the ouji had landed. Vegeta slowly sat up, clutching his chest as blood trickled from his mouth.
"Damn...you..." he panted.
Totoma shifted into a fighting stance. "You're out of breath already, oniisama? Kami-sama, all I did was hit you once."
"Kuh!" The dark prince charged again, releasing a ki blast as he flew. Clasping his hands together with the index fingers pointing upward (like Tenshinhan in Dragonball), Totoma repelled the attack.
Watching the battle that seemed to be evenly matched, Mirai, Goku, and Trunks figured that, since Vegeta had gotten stronger after his defeat from Totoma, he wouldn't have a problem beating him. But after seeing how the Saiyajin prince couldn't land one blow, while his younger brother landed several, they immediately prepared for the worst.
Deflecting each of his older brother's attempted punches and kicks, the dark haired Henshin thrust out a fist of his own. Vegeta caught it, and the force from their contact threw the two apart—Vegeta higher in the sky, and Totoma towards the ground.
The SSJ2 ouji concentrated a large amount of his chi in his upraised hands, clenching his teeth and muttering hasty prayers to Dende above. "This is the last thing I've got..." With desperation, Vegeta launched his attack: a small sun seemingly sprouted from his hands. "Final Flash!"
Trunks was starting to feel better as he saw his father's favorite move blasting towards Totoma. But his sense of relief dissipated when the Henshin raised two fingers.
"Deflection," he said calmly. The senshi watched in astonishment as the Final Flash bounced from his hand and sped back to Vegeta. The prince was frozen, too astonished to dodge.
"Otousama!" Trunks screamed as the energy burst consumed his father's body.
"This, my dear brother, is the finishing attack!" Young Totoma grit his teeth. "Bleeding Tornado!" There was a sickening crunch of bone as the crimson blast of energy slammed into Vegeta, who was rapidly sinking from the sky.
"Father!" Without thinking, Trunks quickly powered up to SSJ2 and blasted to where Vegeta had fallen. "Otousama, are you all right?!" But before he reached the Saiyajin, Totoma Henshin materialized before him. "Wh-what?!"
Tears were jerked from the violet haired boy's eyes as Totoma thrust his fist into his stomach. Trunks doubled over, unable to think from the pain electrifying his brain. He felt strong hands yanking him off-balance, and another shock of agony exploded within, this time from his back.
Everything went black.
When Vegeta regained consciousness, the others were clustered around him, grim expressions on their faces. The black haired prince tried to raise a hand to his head, but flinched as the broken arm bone showed through his spandex sleeve.
"What happened?" he tried to say, but merely managed to groan. His jaw was sore, but thankfully not broken.
Goku knelt beside him. "Careful, Vegeta," he said cautiously. "You shouldn't try to move. Mirai went to get Dende from the Lookout."
"Hmph!" The prince shut his eyes. "Wh...where's the brat?"
Goku and Gohan exchanged a questioning glance. Gohan nodded.
"Totoma Henshin...he took him," the teenager said softly.
