Chapter 2 – Just visiting?
"And?" Vegeta taps his foot impatiently. Bulma is working on her future son, checking him for diseases or injuries.
"He's in bad shape, but I can't find any physical causes. I have no idea what's wrong with him." She takes off her gloves and tosses them into a trashcan.
"All I can say for now, is that he needs rest. That ought to help."
"When will he regain consciousness?" Goku asks. "We need to know why he's here. Chikyuu might be in danger again."
"We'll have to wait, Kakarot. I'm staying here." Vegeta sits down on a chair next to Trunks' bed.
"I'll stay with you, Vegeta. I have a weird feeling I can't explain." Goku puts his hand on Vegeta's shoulder.
"I'll check on you guys every once and a while," Bulma says. "But now I really need to get back to work. Like always, our own Trunks is nowhere to be found and I very much need his help today."
"You need him? He'll be there in five," Vegeta smirks and closes his eyes.
"Really? Thanks, Vegeta." Bulma smiles at her ex-husband and exits the room.
"What did you threaten to do to him this time?" Goku asks curiously.
"Not to him. To Goten." Vegeta leans back contently as he feels Trunks' ki approach Capsule Corp. rapidly.
"You sick bastard…"
"He needs to listen to his mother," Vegeta states. "Not buzz off whenever he feels like it. He has responsibilities."
"Hn," Goku grunts, copying his mate subconsciously.
"So," Vegeta says after a moment of silence, "what to make of this Future Brat situation? Why do we both sense trouble?"
"I have no clue whatsoever. Maybe he's come to warn us for future danger again."
"Hn," Vegeta snorts dismissively. "Look at him, Kakarot. He's barely aged. He must have left his dimension shortly after he destroyed the androids. Why would he travel so far into the future to warn us? It doesn't make sense."
"You've got a point there. So, no warning then. What other possibilities do we have?" Goku scratches the back of his head, thinking hard.
"Maybe he's just visiting," Vegeta ponders. "But his condition worries me. Why would Mirai Bulma let him use the Time Machine when he obviously wasn't feeling well?"
"Maybe there was some kind of emergency there," Goku guesses. "We'll wait. He'll wake up soon enough."
The sun is setting as Goten and Trunks burst into the room.
"Is it true? Is Mirai Me here again?" Trunks asks breathless.
"Wow…" Goten says as he checks out the silence form of Mirai Trunks lying in bed.
"He looks just like me," Trunks says. "Same age and all. Like a twin brother or something. Why is he in such bad shape?"
"We don't know, brats," Vegeta answers. "He arrived and passed out without having a chance to tell us the reason of his visit."
"Must be trouble on the way then," Goten states. Contrary to his ever-optimistic father, Goten always thinks the worst of every situation.
"Let's hope so," Trunks sighs. "Life's been super boring lately."
"Thirteen years of peace is too much for you, huh?" Goku says mockingly. "Bakas. We don't even know what's going on yet. It's probably nothing."
"Dismissed, brats. We'll let you know when he wakes up." Vegeta glares at them warningly to prevent any form of resistance from the young warriors.
"Alright," they say and leave unwillingly.
Mirai Trunks wakes up in the middle of the night, not recognizing his surroundings.
'Oh Kami, did I black out again?' he thinks to himself. 'No, I didn't.' He remembers his mother trying to stop him from using the Time Machine.
'I hurt her,' he thinks sadly. He doesn't experience any kind of guilt, though. 'She should have stayed out of it,' he thinks aggressively. Then he sits up and spots Vegeta, sleeping in a chair nearby the bed. Goku is close to him, curled up on the next bed.
A searing pain rips through his chest as he experiences their bond up close and personal.
'Kami damn it, why have I come here? There's no way I…'
Vegeta jolts up and grabs his chest. For a single moment, time seems to stop as Mirai Trunks looks directly in the dark eyes of his father. Their souls seem to collide and then simply fade into another. Seemingly from afar, Mirai Trunks hears Vegeta gasp for air. Goku immediately awakes and runs towards his mate.
"Vegeta? Are you okay?"
Vegeta manages to avert his eyes and clears his throat. "I'm fine, Kakarot. It seems our guest has awakened."
Trunks feels disappointment washing through him as Goku interferes between Vegeta and him.
"You gave us a scare, Trunks, arriving like this. Is there trouble in your dimension? Or in ours?" Goku looks at him intently, waiting for an answer.
"No trouble. I'm just visiting." He stares down at his hands. At least they're not trembling anymore. Vegeta's presence has a soothing effect on him.
"What's wrong with you, brat? The woman couldn't find a cause for your injuries." Vegeta looks at him like an eagle would eye a helpless little rabbit. Mirai Trunks feels his face tingle as he searches for the right answer.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," he says, a little ticked off. "All I know is that I feel worthless and need some strong warriors around me to compete with."
"I understand," Vegeta nods, accepting his explanation. "We're all gone in your dimension, and now that you've defeated the androids you need another challenge. You can stay at Capsule Corp. for as long as you wish. As soon as you feel better, we'll give you some decent training."
"Arigato, Vegeta," Mirai Trunks whispers. He yawns sleepily.
"Get some rest, brat," Vegeta says, ruffling Mirai's hair in a friendly manner. He fails to see the intense look Mirai gives him after that. His blue eyes are burning with raw emotion as the Saiyan Prince turns his back to him.