Disclaimer: The thought of me ever owning Dragonball Z is a complete joke.
Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry to you readers out there! I've been so busy in the past week that even THINKING about working on this was out of the question. Relatives, shopping, new car, work, evil muses for an Inuyasha fic that REFUSE to leave me alone...you name it, it's happened to me. ~^
***
Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the large, dusty windows of Capsule Corp, giving everything inside a rosy, ethereal glow. The sun was dropping down behind fluffy clouds in a burst of intense crimson light, and the day seemed to be drawing to a tranquil, picturesque close that was just asking to be the month of June on a cheesy business calendar. However, what Mother Nature was doing was an entirely different story from everything else...
It had been a peaceful day, probably the most peaceful in sixteen years. The people of West City, like in other cities all around the world, were by now downright jubilant, celebrating in the streets and cheering the unknown savior who had taken care of the destructive entities that had plagued their lives for so long. Everybody seemed to be out and about, now that they no longer had any reason to cower in their impoverished homes.
Bulma, however, wasn't partying just yet. After saying farewell to Trunks and sending him out into space in Vegeta's old ship, she got right down to business, gathering together what staff was left (with the incentive of a salary, of course) and started to rebuild her home. Not only did she want at least a shred of her own life back, but she knew that Capsule Corp probably had the means to get West City (at the very least) looking halfway normal within about a year.
"Ah, it's so good to be back here," she said to herself as she rummaged through the junk and debris in what used to be the living room, in search of things that could be of use to her. "Even if it IS a pigsty."
Pigsty, in fact, wasn't the word for it. Only about a third of the rooms were actually livable right now; the rest were, like this one, either a mess or were destroyed or caved in. It would probably take at least three or four months to get Capsule Corp back to the way it had been before, even with a full staff.
She paused as she felt something round and plastic under a large, fallen light fixture. "Feels like a capsule," she muttered as she struggled to get it free of some wires. "Wonder what's in it..."
She finally found out a minute later when she tossed it onto the ground and it revealed an ornate little book that had film negatives spilling out of its fat pages. "A photo album..."
She flipped through it and found it to have photos dating back to around a year before the Androids came. "Kami," she breathed as she paused to look at a picture of her holding a newborn Trunks, "I thought I lost this!"
Memories came flooding back unbidden into her mind. There was a picture of Goku and Chi-Chi both sitting peacefully together and laughing. One of Krillin getting kissed on his bald head by Marron, his ditzy girlfriend. There was even one of Piccolo, who glared at her murderously and looked as if he was going to flip her off if she dared take the picture.
The gem of them all, however, was the last picture in the album, one that made Bulma's eyes well up almost instantly the minute she saw it. It was a picture of her and Vegeta. The only one taken that had the both of them together in it. She was looking into the camera and smiling, and he, predictably, was trying to get away. The only thing that kept him there was her hand, which was linked with his. Bulma had thought about this picture a lot after it was taken. It puzzled her.
(I used to stare at this a lot. It bothered me. Why didn't he just pull away? He could have gotten away; he's stronger than me and he had plenty of time. So why didn't he? It's like he was struggling to decide, and not just about the picture...)
She sighed and safely encapsulated the album again. This was no time for nostalgia. She needed to live in the present right now.
(I need to work hard and get things back on track. Not just for me, but for my son too. Vegeta's all in the past, everyone's in the past, I need to live my life. But now that I'm back here it's so hard not to remember...)
***
"Approaching New Planet Namek. Approaching New Planet Namek. Descent into atmosphere will begin in t minus 120 seconds."
Trunks stretched and yawned upon hearing the auto-pilot's announcement over the intercom. He had been resting quietly in his small white bunk, waiting for the time to tediously crawl by. And crawl it did. He wouldn't even have been surprised if his eyes eventually burned a hole in the part of the ceiling he had been staring at for the past six hours.
The trip through space had passed by uneventfully, really. Four days of nothing. No alien ships, no magnetic fields, not even an asteroid had been in his way. Not that that had been a bad thing, though. This had given him plenty of time to rest up, to regain strength from all of the battles he had fought lately. Or to even just stare out the window, out at the black expanses of space, and at the numerous stars and constellations.
However, this had gotten old after four days, and he was now quite relieved to be within a stone's throw of his destination, he noted to himself as he jumped out of bed and climbed up the thin metal ladder leading up to the bridge. Planet Namek...it had to be an interesting place, although perhaps dangerous. He wasn't sure how the Nameks would react to his presence, much less a request to use the Dragonballs. But he would find out soon...
The planet itself was a breathtaking sight; although it was quite a bit smaller than Earth, it was colored a lush pale green, with a large blue inland sea located towards the equator. Perhaps not exactly anything new or innovative to an experienced space traveler, but definitely a welcome sight for Trunks. Earth hadn't exactly been a beautiful sight to behold from space; the seas were dark and stormy, and the continents were mostly brown, due to the fact that only about fifteen percent of the land now had any greenery growing on it. The Androids, while still living, had done their job well...
"Descent into atmosphere now beginning in t minus 60 seconds. T minus 59...58...57...56..."
Trunks let out a nervous sigh as he sat down in the pilot's chair and buckled himself in, watching as the pale green atmosphere of his destination loomed closer and closer. For some reason he had a feeling about what he was going to do...and it wasn't a good one.
***
"So- so what do YOU want to happen? What do you want the future to bring for you?"
"I want to train harder, defeat Kakarrot, and blow up the planet."
"Come again?"
"Train harder, defeat Kakarrot, and then blow up the planet. Are you deaf as well as stupid, wench?!"
"Well, geez! I was just asking a QUESTION!"
"Hmph!"
"Oh, hmph yourself, you overgrown monkey! And have you ever thought twice about your plans? Where will you go after you blow this place up, hm?"
"It is none of your concern."
"Oh, yes it is, especially if my blown up remains are floating around in space! Tell me, why DO you want to blow this place up, anyway? It's not like you have a good reason, you know!"
"What if I don't?"
"Urgh...you really DO have issues, don't you?"
"What do you care? I just want to desecrate everything because I hate this mudhole and everyone on it! And when I get the chance, I will!"
"...Even me?"
He chuckled humorlessly. "What, you think you hold some special significance, that I'm some weak fool who will hesitate in the end? You obviously don't have my number, woman...believe me, I have no attachment to you. Nor would you even want it that way..."
***
It was totally different from his mind's eye; it couldn't be farther from what he had been remotely expecting. But what stood before Trunks was indeed reality. The lush emerald grass that sprung under his feet, the tranquil aquamarine sky with its two intense suns glaring down at him, the quaint white dwellings that the Nameks themselves appeared to live in...It was all like a dream. A strange dream. A dream that might even end badly, if it all came down to it...The queasy feeling in his stomach still persisted, but perhaps it was just nerves. If all went well he'd be meeting some almost strangers, after all...
He continued to walk across the green meadow, squinting at the horizon, at where one of the Namek settlements appeared to be. It wasn't too far off now; he had even been able to see the oddly-shaped domes at his landing site. Would the Dragonballs be there? Would they be activated? Would the Nameks even let him use them? The possible outcomes of this expedition were endless...his head reeled from them all...
In fact, his head was reeling so badly that he should have been watching where he was going. It was a tendency of his; to become so wrapped up within himself that he became unaware of his surroundings...A common habit, but a dangerous one, as he found out when he slowly became aware that a large green hand had grabbed ahold of the shoulder of his jacket and refused to let go.
They were absolutely intimidating, although he probably could have taken them out had he wanted to. Trunks jumped where he stood when he saw them for face-to-face for the first time. Three of them, dressed in baggy robes and pants, all quite a bit taller than him, with green skin, large ears, a pair of long antannae, and piercing black eyes with small pupils. They also carried a nasty looking spear apiece.
Although Trunks himself was scared to death, he couldn't help but be awed by them. (So these are Nameks...I've seen Piccolo, but he wasn't your average Namek anyway...I hope they're not mad at me for trespassing or something...)
He shook slightly as the largest one withdrew his arm and said to him in a stern, commanding voice, "Halt, stranger to this land. What are your intentions?"
"Er---" Trunks stuttered, a little taken aback. WHY did he have to go and be shy at a moment like this?! "Um, I've come from the planet Earth. Ummmmm---I'm not planning on hurting you or anything, so could I -um- talk to your leader?'
The large Namek didn't skip a beat. "What business do you have with the Eldest Namek?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes.
Trunks ground his teeth nervously. "I wish to use the Dragonballs to revive my friends."
The Namek on the right, one that looked as if he might be some kind of village shaman or priest, looked amused at the request. "Interesting..." he mused, gazing at Trunks unblinkingly. "We have had no one journey here in search of the Dragonballs since we relocated almost twenty years ago...how do we know that you are not our enemy?"
"My word is good," Trunks replied, his eyes darting nervously at the aliens around him. "Son Goku was my friend's father, and I wish to revive my friend and some of my family. I promise not to use them for evil."
At Trunks's declaration the Nameks whispered harriedly to each other, whispers that suspiciously sounded like "Son Goku" and "Frieza" and also some words that he did not know. But the reply seemed unanimous when they all raised their heads and the Namek that had not spoken yet gave the ultimatum in a clear voice: "Very well. We will give you an audience with the Eldest Namek. Normally we would not grant such a favor to a stranger, but as you know of the savior that rescued our people from the wrath of Frieza, we believe that the Eldest Namek may be interested in you."
"Come with us," said the large Namek, gesturing over towards the village. "We shall see what he thinks of you."
***
The village was small, with perhaps twenty of the dome-like dwellings, all smattered with various Nameks, mostly adults with a few children. They all stared at Trunks curiously, a few of the older ones pointing at him and nodding.
The priestly-looking Namek walked up to the largest dome and opened the door, gesturing for Trunks to enter. "Go inside and talk of your request honestly. And don't be surprised at his appearance. He is not the eldest of us, contrary to his name, but he is the wisest."
Giving one last nervous look at the bustling village around, Trunks stepped in, feeling as if his stomach was going to drop downwards out of his body.
It was smoky and earth-like inside, with the scent of incense hanging heavily in the air and the sounds of a large flame crackling. Two guards stood at each side of the door, staring at him menacingly. But the further end of the room---that was the end he couldn't see---
"Come in," a youthful-sounding voice called out from the other end. "What is it that you need?"
He walked in further, his eyes slowly adjusting to the smoke and darkness inside. At the other end of the hearth the smoke seemed to clear for his eyes, and he was able to make out a small, half-grown Namek sitting idly at an ornate throne made out of the same white material as the building. He stared at Trunks with a friendly but calculating gaze. "Ah, Planet Earth, right? I swear that's a Capsule Corp logo on your jacket..."
Trunks looked at him in wonder. "How did you know?!" he exclaimed curiously, forgetting about his nerves for the time being. "I thought that the Nameks didn't get out a lot..."
The small Namek smiled and waved it off. "We don't! But I lived on Earth for awhile a long, long time ago, and I have some very good memories of there." He paused thoughtfully. "But I guess I'm forgetting my manners," he went on seriously. "I am Dende, the Eldest Namek. Well, not exactly the eldest, but you know..."
Trunks furrowed his brow. Dende, Dende, where had he heard that name? It sounded familiar somehow...
"So what brings you here to Namek?" Dende went on, staring at his visitor shrewdly. "I'm sure you didn't exactly do this for a joy ride or anything..."
"Errr--yeah," Trunks replied, straightening up. "If it doesn't bother you, I would like to- to use the Dragonballs here."
Dende appeared surprised. "Aren't there Dragonballs on Earth?"
"Um---no. Something very bad happened on Earth about sixteen years ago, and when Piccolo died the Dragonballs went with him. Earth has just lately become peaceful, but the destruction still remains." He decided to keep the story short; until he was asked about details, at any rate.
Dende's mouth hung open. "Really?" he voiced, leaning closer to Trunks. "That sounds terrible." He went on, his voice becoming more desperate sounding with each word, "But- but how do you know Piccolo? And in such a favorable light, no less? And can you tell me about somebody, if he is still alive? His name is Son Goku, and-"
"Son Goku died of a heart virus long ago," Trunks interrupted. "He was a big loss to us all, and all this might not have happened if he had been around. But most of his friends died when the Earth disaster first started, including his son and my friend, Gohan. I wish to revive them all with the Dragonballs here, if they are powerful enough."
Dende's jaw dropped even further. "Gohan?! Son Gohan?!" he stammered. "He was my friend! He was your friend, too?! And he's dead?! You'll have to tell me all about this! Everything!"
***
The two suns of Namek had both gone down about three hours past, and the distant stars now reigned merrily over the land, all seeming to twinkle in time to the strange, solemn Namekian music that was playing all throughout the camp. It was a happy time, with most of the Nameks gathered around many small fires, drinking (they never ate) fresh water and conversing merrily with each other. Their hard work of the day, farming the many beautiful and exotic plants that made their race famous, was now over.
Trunks and Dende were huddled around the center fire, talking deeply of the events concerning Earth. Dende was quite interested and listened with rapt attention at Trunks's life story, which concerned him closely as he seemed to know all the people he mentioned.
"This is sad, too sad to be talking about," he said once, shaking his head and sighing. "Capsule Corp, all damaged like that...I lived there, you know. While we were waiting for the Dragonballs to regenerate so that we could resettle at a planet of our own. Your mother is a nice woman, Trunks. Although loud sometimes..."
Trunks nodded. "Yeah. She is -um- pretty strong-willed."
Dende smiled. "I still can't believe the fact that that uncouth Vegeta is your father, though," he laughed. "A miracle must have worked its way in there! I remember him; I always tried to avoid him. He was a bitter guy. Always wanting to kill somebody..."
"Yeah, I know. I saw that when I went back to the past. But I think he is getting better."
"I can't believe your parents are THOSE two, though! Bulma was scared to death of him at first, you know. I remember when I lived with her. And when she wasn't avoiding him they were always arguing. About stupid things, too. Although when I do think back I believe he sort of enjoyed that..." Dende trailed off thoughtfully. "And so Gohan trained you up? I played with him all the time. Shame he had to die like that...But I guess that doesn't matter. He'll be with us again soon enough." At this Trunks raised his eyebrows.
"The Dragonballs grew more powerful once Murri passed on and I became their guardian," Dende went on. "The power of the Dragonballs all depends on their keeper. These here still have three wishes and can revive many people at a time, but when they passed on to me they gained the power to give life to those who have not been with us for many years, although the years diminish depending on the number of people. We generally don't exercise this wish on our own, but for you I will make an exception." He cleared this throat. "Those you revive just have to die around the same time and of the same reason. We still can't revive those who died naturally, though, so I'm afraid Goku won't make it, but..."
Trunks nodded. "I know," he said sadly, "but at the very least I got to meet him. He was a great guy...and I'm sure he'll be watching over us."
"And I'm sure he'd want it that way, too," Dende replied firmly. "And so the way I see it you should revive Gohan, the warriors that died in battle, and the ones that died in the Kame House. That'll be three wishes. Does that sound like a plan?"
Trunks nodded. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed happily.
"Good! We'll start tomorrow morning. I'll do the chant and you tell the wish to Porunga---that's the name of our dragon. From what I forsee it should all go smoothly."
"I guess I'll turn in now, then." Trunks stood up and dusted himself off. "Big day tomorrow, you know."
Dende laughed. "I'm sure! Sleep well, Trunks!"
"I will!" he replied as he walked out of the fringes of the firelight and headed for the hut that had been made up for him. Just as he was about to enter it, though---
"Wait." A gruff voice called out from within the dark shadows, startling Trunks badly. He whirled around and found the speaker to be one of the Nameks that had found him earlier; the one that was indeed the village shaman, in fact. The Namek drew closer to Trunks and told him quietly, touching him lightly on the shoulder, "I heard what you are doing tomorrow, and I wish you great success. Any friends of the great Son Goku are friends of mine. However..." He drifted off thoughtfully, giving him a meaningful glance as he paused briefly. "I have been around for many years, long before we even located to the new planet. I have lived during the time that Frieza purged us, and I have seen and experienced many things. I predict that the consequences of your actions will not go without difficulty." He patted Trunks on the shoulder. "Perhaps I could be wrong, but you must hold fast if there is hardship resulting from what you do. Remember, time flows like a river, and people with it."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"You say sixteen years have passed. Since then people have changed, experience and time have chiseled and sculpted them into what they are today. And the people you are reviving...the river has not swept them along yet."
"Are you saying I should be careful?" Trunks asked curiously, his brow furrowing as he began to feel more and more uncomfortable under the elder's gaze.
The shaman looked at him coolly. "Yes...that is one of the things. But I see you don't understand. Not yet, but you may when this is all over." He stared at Trunks with such an intensity that he squirmed uncomfortably. "Everything you do brings forth a consequence, and from each consequence a different path will take its course. Something you say, do, feel; one minute thing could change an entire page of history. Just because something happens in one universe does not mean the same will happen in another." He nodded at Trunks and began to walk away. "Just...take care. Again, good fortune be with you tomorrow."
Trunks stood frozen within the doorway, staring at the retreating shaman with his mouth wide open. (Wha- what WAS that?! What was he trying to say? How weird...)
He shook his head in frustration as he entered the building and started a fire in the hearth with a Ki ball. He knew that what the shaman had said was important, but he didn't know what he had exactly meant. Something about time and your actions...that much he could decipher. The whole matter made him feel uncomfortable and nervous.
Perhaps...in his way he was telling him to stop with the revival, that it could bring consequences that he wasn't even dreaming of? Nah...his mind was made up. He wanted his mother smiling again, for life to be somewhat normal. Yes, Dende was chanting tomorrow, Porunga was definitely being summoned. Even if it unnerved him to the death.
For better or worse.
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm STILL inherently amazed that people find this premise and my writing interesting. I hope I'm not annoying y'all because I'm taking this way too slow...I CAN tell you that you'll be seeing Mirai Gohan. And he's not going to be very happy... The newly revived will also be around, wondering what's going on.
Please review! :) A lot of fic authors out there say that the encouragement allows them to write faster and with more quality, and that's no exception for me. Thanks!