II -Mother
It was only in the day of Trunks departure that she finally showed him the recording. She never knew exactly why she never did it before, but now it seemed the right time. Surely Trunks was old enough to understand that moment, to understand his father's actions. After all, even with his sweetness Trunks was his father's child, and Bulma knew just how stubborn he was himself. Maybe, when he was younger, he would blame his father for not staying safe, as Bulma suggested, instead of rushing to battle. But now he could see it: he would see that Vegeta only ever tried to protect them. Trunks was silent for the whole time. After watching the tape he rewound it to watch it again, and again. For him it was mind blowing to finally get a glimpse on his father's mind, and it was bittersweet to finally understand the depths of the prince's affections towards his only child.
"Your father never knew I recorded this. It was a last minute decision, but I am glad I did it. I am glad I could give you a piece of him, and I am glad I could show you just how much he loved you."
"I only wish I could really know him." Trunk's voice was barely a whisper, and it broke his mother's heart to hear the longing in it. He didn't remembered him: he was barely a year old when Vegeta died, so as far as Trunks was concerned the recording was the first time he really saw his father, but Bulma made sure to talk to him about Vegeta as much as she could. She would eventually share bits and pieces of his past, here and there, and slowly but surely she built up an image of Vegeta's character so Trunks could remember him by. It was a poor image, really, not even close to the real thing, but it was the best she could do.
"He would like that too. The day he said his goodbyes to you… I never have seen him so emotional. As I told you before, your father was a fighter from head to toe. He was a proud man, stern and stoic, but with us he was something more. No one ever knew that side of him. It was something he reserved only for you and me."
"He was a gem, right?"
"That he was… Stubborn, arrogant, demanding… always trying so hard, always aiming for perfection. Now that I think about it, if Vegeta was here he would probably train you to death, saying that Gohan was too light on you… I, for once, can agree" said Bulma with a smile. Trunks' eyes widened as he spoke:
"Really?"
"I am kidding, sweetie. But yeah, your dad was an overachiever, if there was ever one. You know, that was one of his best qualities: he was very devoted, never giving up, never backing down from anything." she felt it again, that pang of pain that came whenever she thought of the prince. She wasn't quite the same after his death. She never loved anyone else ever since, no one save her son. Trunks understood the source of his mother's sadness and asked:
"You loved him very much, didn't you?"
Bulma smiled sadly as she answered:
"I did. I do. He was… my soulmate."
"Why don't you come to the past with me, mom? Surely you would like to see him again?"
The scientist considered this for a moment. After his death she thought that she would trade her own life for a chance to see him again. In the years that followed she caught herself longing for him in many different ways, longing to see his stern face, to hear his harsh voice, even when he was angrily shouting commands at her. She longed to feel his arms around her, to feel his lips upon hers, to love him like she used to do in the past. Oh, how she wanted to see him again! But he was gone, and going to the past would only open up old wounds. No, she would settle with her memories. She realized she stayed silent for too long when she heard her son calling. Bulma collected herself quickly before answering:
"A part of me would, but I don't want to scare my past self by showing her just how old she will be in a few years. And, I think it would be hard on me… to see him again as he once was… as we both were before Goku died, and everything else. Besides, despite you having seen him all cheesy in that record, truth is your father was kind of a jerk and had a talent for pissing me off… Although I have to say that has always been the most charming part of his personality."
They laughed together. Bulma never held anything about Vegeta from her son, no matter how hard some truths proved to be. Trunks knew everything about his father's past, about his former cruelty and the change of heart that followed once Bulma finally managed to crawl her way into his soul. He knew about the orphaned and tortured boy, the cold mercenary, the ruthless murderer, the vicious enemy and, ultimately, about the lover, the devoted father, the protector. And he knew that despite being all proud and mighty Vegeta could also be headstrong, arrogant and a total ass when he wanted to. After a few moments, Trunks asked, all serious:
"Do you think he will know who I am?"
The blue haired smiled tenderly, and reached out to brush a lock of hair out of her son's eyes before answering:
"No, sweetie, I don't think he will. You weren't born yet back then, and we weren't really trying to have children… although I can't say we were trying notto have children"
"MOM!" Trunks cried, shocked. Really, he loved his mom and all, but she could be very disturbing with her… straightforwardness. She laughed and said, defensively:
"Alright, alright… don't get all ruffled up. What I am saying is, no: he will not recognize you. And it's probably for the best."
"Why so?"
"Because paternity was a bit terrifying for him in the beginning, and we don't want to scare your father to death, do we?"
There it was. Trunks face fell, and he looked positively defeated when he spoke again:
"He didn't really want me, then? He never wanted a son, is that it?"
"Oh, sweetie, it is not like that." Bulma answered quickly "you were loved from the very first moment. But your father… well, he was a lonely man for a long time. He grew up in a very harsh world, much like you, and he lost about everything he had when he was a child… What I mean is, he was so used to losing people that he was afraid he would lose both of us as well. He was terrified at the idea of any harm coming to us, so it took him a while to cope with the 'daddy' thing. But he loved you. He really did."
The lavender haired boy smiled tenderly to his mother before saying:
"Well, if all goes well, then maybe this future won't even exist, and we will have him back, right? And if not, at least in a different reality, earth can be saved… In any case, I still have a chance to make my father proud."
"Oh darling, I am sure he is already very proud of you, no matter what. How could he not be? You grew up to be such a good man, and a strong warrior. Besides, you heard the man. You are his legacy. You are our hero. Our hope…"
That very morning, when Bulma finished reading the time machine, she painted a single word in the side of it: hope. Such a small word, but holding such a strong significance. They were robbed of everything but this one thing. Since he was a child Trunks was used to hear his mother saying that he was their hope, but only now he understood the greatness of it. Only now that he knew how much was sacrificed so they could have this one chance to make things right. He looked over to the machine. There was no time to loose. "Time" thought Trunks "everything is about this now: Time." The warrior double checked to see if he got what he needed: the medicine that could save Goku's like was safe in his pocket, along with some capsules carrying supplies that his mother insisted he had to carry, in case anything went wrong. It was a leap in the dark, this thing they were trying to do: there was no telling what would happen, and yet they were ready to take a chance. Trunks opened the machine, and readied himself to get inside. "This is it" he thought "it's now or never". Before entering the machine, he looked over to his mother once again. She had tears in her eyes, and he knew how hard this was on her. Trunks turned back and hugged Bulma, trying to comfort her, and himself. So much depended on him now. After a while she pulled away to look him in the eye, and smiled. He kissed her hand and said:
"Stay safe, mom, and I mean it. I know how stubborn and reckless you can be, so don't act foolish while I am gone, ok?"
"Geez, Trunks, it's not like I am doing anything. Besides, "stubborn and reckless" are more like your father's thing."
"Mom..."
She sighed and answered:
"Ok, ok, I promise! I will be fine, and I won't do anything dangerous or stupid. Now, go there and save the world. You were born to do this. You were born to be a fighter."
"Like dad?" Trunks asked, and he could feel his breath catch in his throat as he waited for her response. Bulma smiled sweetly, in that way only she knew how, and said:
"Yes. Just like your father. Now go… and take care, baby."
"Hey, I am not a baby!"
"You are my baby, and nobody is taking that away from me, not even you. Now go. Go meet our past, so maybe we can save the future…"
Trunks smiled and climbed in the machine, still looking at his mother. It was a blessing, he thought, that she managed to keep her spirits up despite everything that happened, never changing, never turning to rage, despair or bitterness, despite all that she lost. She was a fighter of sorts, Trunks thought, as mighty as any of the so called Z warriors. Little did he know that, if his father was there, he would agree. After all it was her spirits more than anything else that attracted him to her, like a moth to the flame.
"See you later, mom?" he asked before closing the hatch. She smiled and said it back:
"See you later."
And with that he pressed the button, starting the engine. If things went according to the plan, in moments he would be in the past, where he would see his father, Goku and the other fighters that he only heard about. While the machine slowly ascended to the sky, he looked ahead trying to ready himself for what was to come. His father's words kept playing in his mind: "You are everything that is left of me, everything that is left of our people. You are my legacy".
"Okay, father" Trunks said to himself "let's go and make you proud"
xX Aya Wolf Xx
Again: for purposes of storytelling, this fic diverges from canon. Vegeta and Bulma are already together when Trunks arrives to warn them about the androids.
