Disclaimer: magic eight ball of life 'STOP ASKING ME IF YOU OWN DBZ' … pouts magic eight ball of life 'You'll never own it, you'll never own it, you'll never own it!' chants mincingly.

Part Three:

It's Never Really Goodbye.

Trunks was thoroughly annoyed that it seemed everyone was hiding something from him, but shook it off figuring he was just insecure about returning to defeat the monsters that still haunted his world. He looked up from his seat on the back steps of Capsule Corp. in time to see Gohan running up to him. Gohan seemed relieved that Trunks was alone.

"Trunks?" He could tell that his young friend had something on his mind, and seemed a little hesitant about the subject.

"Hey kid, what's up?" Gohan seemed to be spaced-out thinking about something. Trunks quirked his eyebrows in wonder.

"Um, could we go for a walk and just talk before everyone get here to tell you bye" Gohan asked nervously.

"Sure Gohan." The two walked a good distance from the building in awkward silence. Trunks finally questioned his young friend, "I know there's something on your mind, and I know you too well for you to hide it. Are you going to tell me what's up?"

Gohan shifted restlessly, "Well, actually I was going to ask you a question about the Gohan you knew from the future." Trunks seemed a little depressed and hung his head, but smiled slightly at the young man. "Were you in love with him?"

Trunks was thrown by Gohan's questions. He wouldn't look Gohan in the eyes and was more than a little edgy, "Now Gohan, what would make you think that?" Trunks nervously mused.

Dark, innocent, but knowing eyes looked up into the blue eyes that glistened with the threat of tears. He looked away, softly spoke, "The way you look when someone mentions him, and the way you talk about him… I just thought…"

Trunks gave a small chuckle and shook his head, "You're too damn observant, Gohan, too smart for your own good." Trunks clapped him on the back and looked into face that he had come to cherish so deeply. "It doesn't matter anymore though. I can finally avenge his death and live the rest of my life in peace."

Trunks looked for any way to change the subject. "I think everyone's waiting for us." They were once again confronted by an uneasy silence on their way back to the group of friends that had come to see Trunks off. Gohan stared with a mischievous grin.

The Z-senshi were sad to see yet another warrior take his leave to depart from their world for good. They said their goodbyes and thanked him for what he had done, everything was different because he had a hand in rewriting history, and was glad to see it change.

Gohan hugged Trunks just before he was entering the time machine. "I know that everything will work out and what is meant to be will always find a way."

"Goodbye kid."

"Hey Trunks," Trunks turned to give Gohan a final glance. "It's never REALLY goodbye."

He nodded a somewhat perplexed reply as he fired up the machine and the top closed. He gave one final wave at the gathered friends and family reminding himself of a similar incident several years earlier. He smiled to himself as he was surround by nothing but white before hitting the outskirts of the same city with years worth of wear and tear in fighting a desperate war.

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He leaned against the wall tears streaming down his face. "I did it, Gohan, I did it for you. You always said I would be the one to do it; I always thought it would be you." He wiped at his eyes with his sleeve and recomposed himself before entering his home once again. "No one has to worry about those androids anymore."

"Mom?" Trunks called onto the large building, looking in her usual hangouts. He finally heard voices of friendly chatting and warm laughter coming from the kitchen.

Bulma appeared in the hallway, tears welling in her eyes at the return of her son. "Trunks, is it really you," she asked disbelievingly. She smiled as he ran up to hug her. He was home, finally felt like he truly belonged there.

He wiped away her tears with his sleeve, "So, everything turned out good, didn't it? Too bad that Goku had to die again in that timeline too…" She let out a sad, heavy sigh.

"Yeah, but how did you know that?" He was confused that she seemed to know about what happened in the past that he changed before he had told her anything.

"Let's just say that because you changed the past, they wanted to do something for you." She took his hands and led him into the kitchen. Chichi sat across the table seemingly happy for the first time in a while. He was even more perplexed that they seemed to be hiding something as well.

"Trunks." That deep voice, he heard it, but refused to believe it. He felt the strong hands on his shoulders turn him around to face the man that called him. He was there; Trunks looked into his eyes, the same dark eyes that he had beheld in the face of a child, only hours before.

"Gohan…" his voice was low and quiet.

He was nearly hyperventilating in shock. Oh my God, this isn't real. Am I dead? The androids… I must not have been able to defeat them, I'm out cold somewhere and this is only a dream. He felt like he was drowning, gasping for breath as darkness over took him.

Bulma rushed over to him, but Gohan reassured her he was just unconscious as he held his younger friend. "I'm here for you," he whispered to the out-cold young man he so gently held. "I'm really here." Gohan placed a feather light kiss on Trunks' forehead as he smoothed a wisp of hair from the face.

"Gohan, don't leave… Please… Go--han," Trunks gently whispered as he drifted somewhere between consciousness and sleep, "Don't say goodbye."

Gohan's only response was a whisper, "It's NEVER really goodbye."