Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/DBZ/GT

Chapter 13
The skies over Namek were clear after the dragonballs scattered. The azure dome was covered by sparse clouds, and a slight breeze bent the blades of grass. Trunks and Dende were relaxing before returning to Earth. Trunks was exhausted from his battle with Vegeta and from instant transmitting them halfway across the galaxy, but he felt hopeful about the wishes he'd made to Porunga. Dende was in no hurry to return, as he had been away from his home for more than thirty years.

The view is almost bewitching... Trunks thought to himself as he shaded his eyes from the planet's brilliant double suns. He absently shifted position and winced at sharp pain in his wounded side. He didn't have to hit me THAT hard, Trunks thought irritably. He let the irritation slide over him, though. He didn't want anything to spoil the moment.

He heard Dende sigh. "I should really be getting back," the young Namek said regretfully.

Trunks snorted in amusement. He refrained from saying anything insulting about Dende's responsibilities, however. "Relax, Dende. We're waiting for someone."

Dende looked over at him in disbelief. "Who knows we're here?"

"Well, I do for one!" Came an unexpected voice.

Trunks didn't bother to rise, but he did smirk. "Hey Goku, I didn't hear you come in."

"Spoilsport!" Goku exclaimed.

Trunks cracked an eye open. The legendary Saiyan was back to his normal size, he noted. "So, you're not a kid anymore. What kept you?"

Goku made a hurt face. "You're mean, Trunks!" He chuckled. "I had to go get some clothes before I came. "

Trunks felt like laughing. "What, Shenron wouldn't give you a replacement set?"

Goku plucked at his orange and blue outfit. "These were luckily still in the drawers at my house. They're a little musty, though." His visage abruptly turned serious. "Shenron won't be able to grant any wishes for five years."

Trunks was up on his feet in shock before he could even register the action. "WHAT?"

Goku sat down crosslegged. "Shenron's power was drained when the shadow dragons came out. It was further drained by the last wish he granted to me as a favor. Shenron wasn't planning coming back for a long time...so I guess we'll just have to deal with this."

Trunks was fuming though. "Goku, you know we needed that wish! A lot of people died last year! The others may have been out of our reach, but those we have to save!"

Goku looked deadly serious for the one of few times Trunks could remember. "Let them go, Trunks," he said softly. "Those people are lost to us."

Trunks sunk to the ground, horrified. He tried to absorb the shock, but it was too much. "I can't, Goku," He said just as softly. "Those people were my responsibility."

Goku shook his head. "You aren't responsible for what Li Shenron and the others did. According to you, it's not my fault that they existed. Kami isn't here to answer for it, but it's really not his fault either, considering how many people we saved over the years with his dragonballs. You did the best you could. Let them go..."

Trunks was still beside himself. I wanted to save those people... He dimly heard Goku asking Dende why the young Guardian hadn't healed Trunks. To Trunks, his wounds were of little consequence compared to the millions of people that were now permanently lost to them. Earth's dragonballs would not resurrect anyone after one year. Porunga was more flexible, but the Namekian Elder had told them that except for Nameks, the dragon would only bring back one person per wish after one Namekian year- about a third of an Earth year.

It was clear there was nothing to be done about it, though. They were lucky to have Shenron back at all, and Porunga couldn't grant their wish. It would be another third of a year until Porunga could be summoned again, and it would be too late to save any of the people lost in the last two years.

Goku shook him, and Trunks found himself staring into the older Saiyan's eyes. "You can't win every battle, Trunks. Let this one go. Remember when you told me I was being too good? That's you right now."

Trunks took a shuddery breath and tried to shut the door in his mind that lead to all of the victims of the shadow dragons. "How do you do it, Goku?" Trunks asked.

Goku's eyes were hard. "It's not easy. Most of Frieza's victims are still dead, including the other Saiyans. Buu destroyed hundreds of planets before he ended up in otherworld. Li Shenron's legacy could have been no less bloody. Sometimes, you have to be happy with what you have." He glanced at Dende. "Could you heal Trunks, as a favor to me?" He asked the young Namek.

Dende looked embarrassed. "No favor is necessary. Trunks wished many of my people back to life," he said as he laid his hands on Trunks and began the healing.

Trunks noticed Goku giving him a sly smile. "You're lucky Porunga was nice enough to transport their bodies here during one of the original wishes, otherwise I would have had to fish them out of the other Namek's non-existent atmosphere."

Trunks flushed in embarrassment. "That doesn't really happen, does it?"

Goku scratched his head. "We never really tried it out, but the dragons supposedly drop them back on the planet they died on, unless their bodies are moved."

"Mom told me Yamcha just appeared when they made the wish after Namek, and he was blown to bits. I just thought it should work the same way..." Trunks finished, stammering a bit.

Goku grinned. "I don't know about those things. I'd just keep it in mind, the next time you want to do something like that."

Trunks frowned. "I hope we never have to do that again."

Goku looked at him sidelong. "WE may not have to do it, but I know YOU will. The other dimension is likely to be a mess."

Dende frowned, finishing the healing. "What other dimension?" He asked curiously.

Trunks stretched, testing his wounded side, and shared a look with Goku. Goku nodded gravely. Trunks sighed, preparing to have to defend his idea, yet again. "You met the Trunks from the future, right?" Dende nodded. "Well, we have a time machine now, and it's likely that there have been problems there since he returned. I'm going to go there and do something about them."

Dende looked puzzled. "Did you summon Goku for this?"

Goku shook his head and answered for Trunks. "No, Dende. I'm not going on any more adventures. Vegeta is Earth's protector, now, and more than that, it's time the younger generation be allowed to take care of things. This is their world, now."

Trunks had his eyes closed, focusing on the energy of the planet. "That's good, Trunks," Goku was saying. "Feel the energy of all the life here, and draw it into your hands..."

Trunks felt a tingling between his fingers, and when he opened them, a small ball of incandescent light was glowing there. It was slowly growing larger, but Goku had cautioned him earlier not to push too hard.

"This is the essence of the spirit bomb. The larger the planet, the more life on it, the stronger and larger it will be." Goku said, avidly watching the ball of light grow larger. "This technique can only be used once, as you are draining the life force around you. Small amounts can be easily recovered with time, but when you need a really large spirit bomb, you may kill the donors if you try to form more than one."

Dende looked transfixed. "This isn't normal energy, is it?"

Goku nodded. "The spirit bomb can only hurt those with evil in their hearts. Gohan withstood a hit from this when he was younger, but its reaction to Vegeta was a bit more like you'd expect."

Trunks felt the ball continue to grow, but as this was practice, he didn't want to draw any more from the lifeforce of Namek. "Can I let this go, now? I'd rather not weaken the trees the Nameks are trying to grow."

Goku blinked. "Oh, yeah. I learned this on King Kai's planet in otherworld, so the damage was negligible. Let it go, slowly."

As the energy dissipated, Trunks could feel it returning to the plants and animals that had donated it. Goku was nodding in approval when Trunks was done. "You learned that in just a few hours. That's impressive. You now have my two best techniques, and even if you're a little shaky when using them, I'm sure they'll help. Let's head back- I'd like to surprise Chi-Chi."

Trunks smirked as the spirit bomb was finally released. "I know you, Goku. You're hungry. Come back to my place and have dinner. My mom misses you as much as Chi-Chi does, and I'm sure your wife will be happier if the first thing she hears isn't 'I'm hungry, what do you have to eat?'"

Goku's stomach picked that moment to let out a massive growl. He looked a bit sheepish. "Well, it's true that I haven't eaten in two years...sure, why not?"

Trunks started to feel for his mother's energy, but stopped abruptly. "Do you want to do the honors, Goku?"

Goku grinned. "I don't need the practice. You do it."

"Ok. Dende, do you want me to come pick you up later?"

Dende shook his head. "It was nice to see my people again, but it's time I was back home."

Trunks missed the Lookout during the instant transmission back, but he was only off a short distance. Goku had laughed at him, but told him similar things had happened when he first learned the technique. After leaving Dende, the two of them had teleported to Trunks' house, and were in the process of devouring bowl after bowl of rice, chicken, steamed veggies and miso broth.

Goku's appetite was of course...excessive. Trunks wasn't far behind him, though, and the empty bowls began to pile up rather quickly. Luckily, his mother was keeping the catering crew from the party on to possibly be a permanent fixture. That suited Trunks down to the ground, as he rarely had time to make his own meals anymore.

Just as Trunks' appetite was starting to slow down, he noticed his mom coming down the stairs. This ought to be good.

"Trunks, where have you been! And where did this mess come from..." Bulma began, but her eyes widened as she noticed Goku.

"Hi mom, sorry I was out for so long, but I did tell you I was going to be out for awhile," Trunks said nonchalantly, smothering a smile and continuing to eat.

"Ah, Trunks, how can you do that to your poor mother?" Goku asked with an almost full mouth, doing a bad impression of looking shocked.

Trunks grinned at him. "You shouldn't talk with your mouth full. Mom's been giving me a hard time the last few days. SHE didn't think I was doing anything important."

Bulma swallowed, opening and closing her mouth a few times before something came out. "Is he...?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yup," Goku said between bites.

"Are you...?" she continued, looking spooked.

"Nope," Goku answered again.

"You aren't staying?" Bulma shrieked at him.

Trunks chuckled as he finished a bowl of teriyaki chicken. "I told you not talk with your mouth full," He playfully admonished the older Saiyan. "Goku is back for good, Mom," The younger Saiyan said as he turned back to Bulma.

"Then why are you here demolishing my kitchen?" Bulma asked Goku with some asperity.

"I thought you might like to see him before everyone else got here, Mom," Trunks said blandly. "Gohan and the others should be here soon, so I offered Goku a meal while we waited."

Trunks could see his mother fighting to keep a smile off her face. I knew you'd be happy to see him, Trunks thought as he helped himself to a bowl of steamed vegetables.

"Well met, Kakkarot."

Goku twisted in his seat to see Vegeta leaning against the doorframe at the entrance to the kitchen. "Hey Vegeta! It's been a long time!"

Trunks' dad was wearing a black shirt and jeans, yet was still an imposing figure. He walked over to the table and casually sat down, helping himself to a bowl of rice. "So, what brings you back to the land of the living, Kakkarot?"

Goku made a face. "Your overly clever son convinced me that I should come back."

Bulma blinked, but Vegeta was looking at Goku narrowly. "Really..." The Saiyan Prince said slowly.

"Yeah, I think you should ground him for sticking his nose into other people's business." Goku winked at Trunks to show that he was joking, though.

Vegeta grunted noncommittally and seemed to lose interest as he began to eat his rice bowl. Trunks noted that his Mom had forgotten her anger and was smiling at Goku. "I'm so glad you're back!" She said, ruffling his hair as if he were the little wild child she'd met so many years ago.

Goku and Trunks took a walk after they finished dinner. Goku had commented that he'd eaten enough to last him a year. Bulma had asserted that he would only be ok for an hour. Vegeta had been strangely silent, as if pondering something, and barely noticed them leave. Trunks would have been afraid of jealousy brewing there, but his dad simply wasn't like that. Everyone knew beyond a doubt that Goku and Bulma were just good friends.

"Mom's in a good mood, now that you're back," Trunks commented quietly.

Goku smiled. "It's good to be back, although I get the feeling that you aren't as thrilled to see me."

Trunks smiled wryly. "I admit that I didn't miss you. You've never been as big a part of my life as in the others."

Goku looked hurt. "We had big adventures together! We spent a year gathering the Black Star Dragonballs!"

Trunks made a placating gesture. "You and I both know that we were doing a job. You needed me to fly and maintain the ship, and you were there to deal with the threats."

Goku smiled slyly. "That didn't stop you from getting close to Pan!"

Trunks blushed. "She wasn't supposed to come!" He protested weakly. "Goten was supposed to come with us so we could do fusion if things got out of hand."

Goku was still grinning. "See? It wasn't all business." His face hardened. "I want to know if you're angry with me, though. The truth?"

Trunks frowned. "I'm not angry with you, even if you did make me do most of the work during our trip for the dragonballs." He threw the older Saiyan a smile to take away the sting. "You weren't here, though, and I had to try and hold things together after you left. I guess I just assumed you were training in otherworld, and that I'd never see you again."

"I wasn't holding on to the memory of you, the way some of the others did," Trunks continued musingly. "You were gone, and I moved on...that's all."

Goku looked a bit downcast, and then looked back. "I'm sorry if I caused you trouble, Trunks, but I can't blame you for moving on. You did well...better than anyone could have hoped. I'll do my best to protect it while you're gone..."

Trunks made a slashing motion with his hand. "Quit that, Goku. I've never been that close to you, but the people that ARE need you. Goten needs you, Chi-Chi needs you, my mother needs you…even father needs you."

Gohan arrived first, and he brought Chi-Chi with him. Trunks had fun springing the surprise on his mom, but it would have been different to do that to the long-suffering Chi-Chi.

If only she didn't drive me crazy… Trunks thought wryly. It was hard to have sympathy for someone so obnoxious as the dark-haired princess.

Trunks watched the reunion from one of the balconies, feeling strangely detached from the whole thing, even if he could sense the overwhelming joy and relief felt by the people down below. Pan and Goten in particular seemed to be clinging to Goku as if he was going to disappear at any moment.

Trunks felt his father approach from the doorway behind him. "Quite a turn of events," Vegeta commented quietly.

Trunks continued to stare down at the happy group. "I hope you don't mind," Trunks said apologetically.

His father moved next to him against the rail. "I had long hoped for Kakkarot's return," came the surprising reply. "I was rather surprised that you were the one to initiate it. I well know your distaste for his childishness."

Trunks frowned at his father's insight. "You're right. I was offended that he never took me seriously enough to act naturally around me, but that's just the way he is. This isn't about me, anyway. This is about them," he gestured at the crowd of family and friends.

Vegeta sized him up. "Very mature of you. Is your ship ready?"

Trunks frowned. "Mom said she was going to outfit it today, but I didn't get to check with her."

"Good. I'm sure she did. You and I are going to train in space tomorrow."

Trunks turned a skeptical eye toward his father. Just what I need- more broken bones, he thought grimly. "Yes, Father," he said in what he hoped wasn't an offensive tone.

Whatever it takes...