Note:
1-1. music - DanDan (Remix) Originated from the opening theme of DraginBall GT in Japanese. (the song will be mentioned again later in the fanfic)

1-2. Mom's name - Symone takes after her mother's (Audrey) name as one of her nicknames.

Chapter 1

The Love of a Saiya-jin Father

(Ten years has passed...)

After Trunks stepped out of the new elevator, his mother installed to the Capsule Corp. HQ/Home, he headed straight to Symone's quarters.

It's been two years since Trunks and his children had moved in with his mother, after Audrey died of exhaustion. He, himself, isn't sure if he has gotten over the fact that he lost his wife three years ago. He has never put any thought into getting another lover. Maybe it's because he has a spiritual feeling that Audrey is still near, even if she's not presented in the flesh. He also remembered that it will be his and his late wife's 10th anniversary next week.

He sighed depressively. He felt alone again.

"...It's going to be Audrey and mine anniversary..." he thought to himself then sighs, "... Time sure does fly, since Audrey's... not here..."

He walks down the hall, "A widower, maybe even capable of remarrying... But my children comes first..." he smiled a little, "And now, I have more responsibilty taking care of my two kids, with some of Mother's help."

As he approached the door to his daughter's personal living area, almost like the one he had when he was living here as a teenager. He knocked on the door in respect of his daughter's privacy.

"Come in." he heard on the other side of the door, but almost mute.

"She must be in her room, getting packed up to go." he thought.

He opened the door. As usually, her living area was in a slight mess, from clothes to magazines and stuffed animals.

"I thought that girl would have picked up in here by now." he thought to himself, watching his step, making sure he doesn't step on anything fragile, making his way to Symone's bedroom. The door was slightly open, with music¹ playing quietly from either the radio or the CD player. He could also hear Symone humming to the song. He knocks on the frame of the door.

"Yes?" Symone respond from behind the closet door. She was tossing clothes over her shoulder to the edge of the bed, or at least tried to.

Trunks looked at the pile of clothes on the bed and floor. (nervous sweatdrop) "Uh, Symone, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for my fave outfit." she replied still throwing clothes over her shoulders.

"Maybe you should look in your living room." he suggested.

"Didn't you see the mess in there?" she asked him, still tossing clothes.

"Oh. I thought a tornado just hit." he said casually.

"Ha-ha." she said sarcastically, "I looked there... Ah, here it is!" she exclaimed. She came from behind the closet door to the full-length mirror, with the outfit in her arms. She ran her hand through her hair to pull the tuff of hair behind her ears and behind her shoulder to pressed the outfit against herself, "It looks like it could still fit me." she said to herself outloud.

Trunks arched an eyebrow, "This is what you've been doing all this time?" he sighs, "I told you to pack up yesterday."

Symone nods, "Yeah. I know, but I've been looking for this outfit for like, ever, and well, I didn't wanna leave without it." she walks to her opened suitcase, and laid it in delicately.

"I hope you packed the essentials like I've told you, Moné." Trunks told his teenage daughter.

She nods, "Yes, Dad."

"Cellphone; calling card; enough zennies; first-aid kit--"

"Tousan." she cut him off, "I got it. Don't worry, please." she closed her suitcase.

Trunks sighs, "I know, but this is very dangerous, you know? And the last thing I want is to lose you, Moné..."

She sighs exasperately, "Don't call me that."

"Call you what? 'Moné '?"

She sighs again, "Yes." then says sternly, "I don't like that name. Though, I don't mind Mom's name²." she picked up her suitcase and put it with her other lugages.

He smiles a bit, "You use to."

"That was then; this is now. Sounds too... Frenchy." she said, "Moné. Ugh."

Turning the suitcase upright, she pressed a small button on the handle. It poofed into a capsule. She picked it up, "Capsules-- One of the best inventions Great Grandpa Brief came up with." she said, while putting it in a case with the rest of her capsules Trunks has given her. She showed her father the capsules, "See?" she pointed at the capsules, "That is my handbag, which has my phone; calling cards; and extra zinnies, that I don't already have in my wallet. Don't get me wrong, I do have a few hundred zennies." pointed to the next one, "That one has the mini-fridge, just incase I get hungry or thirsty, before I reach my destination." she continued telling him about the capsules she has.

Trunks nods, "Okay... You have everything, plus more." he observed closely, then looked at Symone, "Symone?"

"Yeah?" she looked at him.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked, being concerned about his daughter's request.

"Tousan, don't start having second thoughts. I really, really want to go. And if you really didn't want me to go, you and Grandma would have never bothered to work on it." she told him. "Dad, are you that worried?"

His eyes blinked at the question, then he looked down alittle, "To be honest with you-- yeah. I'm very worried."

Symone sat the case down on the bed, then took her father's hand in her small ones, "Otousan," she started softly, "You worry too much. And I don't want you to get sick again." her grip tightened alittle, "Please, promise me, you won't start worrying after I'm gone."

He stared into her blue eyes. Symone's face features resembled his late wife, "I can't promise you that." he told her and slipped his hand out of her. His gaze never left her though, "Sit down for a sec." he nodded his head towards her bed and sat down.

Symone did as she was told, "What is it?"

"Remember when I told you the story of my past?"

She nodded, "Yeah, it was my favorite."

He smiled alittle at the comment, but his voice still had a serious tone, "Well, imagine how your grandmother felt when her only son; the only thing my father left behind to carry out his bloodline of the Saiya-jin race, was gone to another time dimension in hope of freeing the survivors of that hellish nightmare. My mother was worried sick about my being gone for over a few painful weeks."

"I understand, Tousan, but I'm not going to save the world or anything. I'm just going to meet the Z-Fighters." she said.

"No, you don't understand." he said then sighed. He was silent for a few seconds to put it in different terms, "What I'm saying is that it's not what you're doing that bothers me. It's how long. In any amount of given time, something bad can happen. You could travel and get stranded in the timeline. Or worse, you could run into danger and be outnumbered somehow. I mean, what would have happened when Cell killed me and it wasn't possible to wish me back with the Dragonball, if Goku-san would have not brought up the brilliant idea of getting Dende to become Earth's new guardian. What do you think would happen?"

"Grandma wouldn't know what happened to you, because she would have probably still be waited for you, or worse." she said quietly, now beginning to understand her father's thoughts and withdraws.

"Remember the time you ran away after that terrible arguement we had and you were gone for three days?" he asked her softly.

Her eyes widen, she couldn't forget; how could she? She was the one who made her father sick in the first place. Her bottom lip trembled alittle, she was trying to hold back tears, "Yes." she said even softer than Trunks. She barely heard herself, but she knew that Trunks knew how she felt about that day, so she was sure he heard her. Especially since Saiya-jins have an acute hearing. She looked down so her dad would not see her emotions, which she thought of was shameful. They haven't spoke of this in a long time, "Tousan.. Please... Let's not talk about this."

He placed a hand on her small bare shoulder, she was wearing her favorite magenta colored spaghetti-strap top with black shorts and the black strapped boots to match, "I'm only trying to make a point."

"I know." she said quietly in a quivering voice.

"You were only gone for over seventy hours. In that amount of time, all that worrying took its toll on me and made me sick. The scariest part about it was that even after looking for you, I had no idea where you were at. Or if you were okay. Even after arguing with you, I worried about you."

Still with her head down, "Is there ever a time when you don't worry about me?"

Trunks smiled alittle, "Only if I know you're happy."

"Geez, no wonder adults always get gray hair." she said with a smile, but still didn't raise her head.

"Do you know where I'm going with this?" he said with some serious concern for his daughter's welfare.

"Yes sir."

"If anything happens to you, then I don't know how I'll be able to live with myself." he exhaled. He lifted his daughter's chin to look into her eyes, "Do you know how much you mean to me?" he asked her in his softest tone, "I just want you to be happy. And if you're going to take this trip, please promise me you'll stay out of trouble and return home, safe and sound."

Symone looked deeply into his eyes, "This man is really worried." she thought to herself, "I promise."

Trunks smiled and kissed her forehead, "I'll tried not to worry too much, then." he said and got up, "But to start off with, the reason why I came here was to let you know your grandmother has the time machine coordinates laid out for you to study over on the computer system. She already put it into it memory bank, so you should be okay."

"Okay." she nodded.

"I'll let you continue on packing. Your brother and grandmother is in the backyard waiting. I'll let them know you're almost done."

She nods alittle, "Now I wonder... Is it really a good idea for me to go? No telling what will happen on that trip. And it save Dad's worrying..."

Before Trunks reached her bedroom door, he looked back at her for a second. She was putting her lugages into its capsules, But she seemed a bit discouraged now.

"Symone?"

She looked up at him.

"Now that you have the opportunity to travel to the other timeline now, I'm gonna support you all the way. Okay, kiddo?" he smiled a bit, "After all, I got you this far."

She smiled alittle, "I appreciate it a lot, Tousan. Arigatou."

He smiles back, "Anytime, Sweetness."

Note:
1-1. music - DanDan (Remix) Originated from the opening theme of DraginBall GT in Japanese. (the song will be mentioned again later in the fanfic)

1-2. Mom's name - Symone takes after her mother's (Audrey) name as one of her nicknames.