Author's Note: Well alright guys! Not too shabby for my return to the fanfiction fray. I'm going to assume that you guys like it, since I got a good amount of follows on this. Thanks a lot! I would've liked to see more reviews/comments, but hey. I'll take what I can get for now! It's good to see a number of people wanting to join me and Gohan on this little journey. But enough from me, it's time for Chapter 2! Enjoy!

Thanks to ekko for the review! Piccolo has his moments, doesn't he?

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z, or anything relating to it. All rights to the Dragon Ball franchise are reserved to its creator, Akira Toriyama, and its affiliates, FUNimation, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV.

A Saiyan Legend

Chapter 2: The Gift

"Gohan! Are you ready yet? We're going to be late!" Chi-Chi shouted from the living room. Her father, the Ox King, sat waiting patiently on the couch, tapping his thumbs together. He knew better than to say something to Chi-Chi when she was agitated. Watching her grow up as a child, he knew very well what that ferocious temper would bring. 'She always did remind me of her mother.' he thought, half-smiling to himself.

Chi-Chi tapped her foot impatiently against the floor. "Where is that boy? If he doesn't hurry, we'll miss Trunks leaving!"

Just before the Ox King could reply, a steady thumping sound could be heard coming down the stairs. The said boy appeared before them, wearing a simple button-up white shirt and black khakis, much like he wore before the Cell Games. "Sorry I took so long, Mom, but I'm ready to go now!" he stated with a smile.

Chi-Chi looked her son over before smiling down at him. 'He's such a handsome young man. Oh Goku, I wish you could see him grow up.' she thought. "Good. Then let's get going. You wouldn't want to miss Trunks leaving, now would you?"

Gohan shook his head. "No way! I'd feel horrible if I didn't get to say goodbye."

They both looked over at the front door to see the Ox King waiting for them, holding the door open. "We all ready to go?" he asked cheerfully.

"Yeah!" said his 11-year-old grandson. Gohan ran through the door in excitement, Chi-Chi and the Ox King following close behind. The demi-Saiyan called for the Flying Nimbus to carry his mother and grandfather to Capsule Corp. "Are you sure I can't just carry you, Grandpa?" Gohan asked.

"I'll be just fine with your mother on Nimbus, Gohan. You just worry about yourself, kiddo. I shouldn't be too much for it to handle, right?" the Ox King told him with a hearty laugh, patting his large stomach.

"Oh, Dad." was all Chi-Chi could say, slapping his arm lightly. Gohan laughed at his grandfather's antics.

Nimbus arrived shortly after, Chi-Chi and the Ox King climbing aboard the yellow cloud. Surprisingly, it seemed to have no trouble in ferrying the Ox King, despite the man's large size. Once they were settled, they all began the flight to Capsule Corp, the home of Bulma Briefs and her family.

Chi-Chi and her father had chatted idly throughout the flight, the Ox King now mentioning something about dinner when they returned later that afternoon. Just before Chi-Chi could reply, she suddenly felt light-headed, steadying herself on her father's arm. "Oh, Chi-Chi! Are you okay?" the Ox King asked worriedly, noticing his daughter putting a hand on her head, looking to be in some sort of pain.

Chi-Chi shook her head lightly. "Yes, I'm fine Dad. I just got a bit light-headed for a second." She nodded to him reassuringly.

"Alright well, if you pass out, I'll be right here to catch you, okay?" he told her.

"I'm fine, Dad. Really. No need to worry." she said firmly. Her father nodded in acceptance, though now keeping a closer eye on her. Chi-Chi looked ahead, curiosity etched into her face. 'I haven't felt something like that in years. Hmm, I wonder...' she thought as she looked down at her stomach, putting a hand over it. 'Could I be..?'

Gohan flew beside them at an even pace, appearing not to hear the exchange. The young Saiyan's mind was racing. 'It's sad to see Trunks go. I really wish he could stay here with us. He's the closest one in the Z Fighters to my age. Piccolo and Krillin are great, but having someone in the group not that old is nice. I wish there were something I could do to make him stay...' Gohan went through a number of scenarios. 'Maybe I'll ask him about it when I get there. It's a long shot, but I still have to try.'

Trunks capsuled the last of his belongings, pocketing the tiny device his own mother had invented. He looked around the room, his room to be exact, to make sure he didn't miss anything. Seeing all was accounted for, he nodded to himself. "That's the last of it." he stated.

"All ready to go?" a feminine voice asked from the doorway. Trunks looked up from his desk to see his mother, Bulma, leaning against the door frame, holding what looked to be a cup of coffee in her hands. She had on a blue tank top, and plain blue jeans.

Trunks half-smiled at her. "Sure am. Just have to wait for everyone to get here." he affirmed.

Bulma took a sip of her coffee. "Aren't capsules just the greatest thing?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, they're convenient all right. I'm not sure where I'd be without them. You and Grandpa are geniuses for creating them." the half-Saiyan replied. Bulma smiled brightly at his compliment. He glanced at her beverage. "You're drinking coffee this time of day?"

Bulma gave her son an incredulous look. "Trunks, please. In my field, coffee is a staple." He chuckled at her, then looked away quickly, his mind clearly on other things. "Still thinking about what you're going to say to Gohan?" she asked.

Trunks sighed lightly. "Yeah... I supposed I'm just worried about what he'll think about my idea."

Bulma walked over to her son and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure he'll love the idea. You never know, he may even be thinking of something similar. This is Gohan, after all. He may only be 11, but he's a smart kid."

Trunks looked his mother in the eyes and smiled. "Hm, maybe you're right. Of course, I won't know until I try, right?"

"Exactly." came Bulma's reply, nodding at him.

Trunks suddenly wrapped his mother in a hug. "Thanks, Mom."

The hug surprised her at first, but she hugged him back quickly. "Anytime, Trunks."

"I'm going to miss you, ya know. Even if I am going back to er, another you in my time." the young man told her.

A look of sadness crossed her face briefly. "I know, and I'm going to miss you, Trunks. But hey! If your gift for Gohan works out, I'll get to see you one more time before you go back." she reminded him with a motherly smile.

"Yeah, that's true." he realized. Trunks clipped the strap for his sword over his chest. "Well, let's go outside and wait for the others. They should be here soon, if they're not already."

Bulma nodded lightly. "Let's. You go on ahead, though. I'll go find your father. Knowing him, he's probably forgotten all about it." She turned and walked out briskly, leaving Trunks alone once again.

"Well, I guess that's it then." he said to himself, putting his hands in his pockets and walking out of his room for the last time, not once glancing back.

Bulma made her way through her large estate, wondering where Vegeta might be. Her first guess was the Gravity Room. Vegeta had spent almost all of his time in that room, training himself nonstop before the Cell Game. Quite a few times, Bulma had to get the Saiyan prince medical help during his training sessions, the man pushing himself to his limits each time he stepped in the room.

Bulma stopped in front of the GR door, knocking first. She waited a few moments. When no response came, she typed in the access code to the room, overriding the locks placed when the room was in use. To Bulma's surprise however, the noise the locks made when released didn't sound.

She opened the door slowly, thinking that she might be wrong in her assumption of Vegeta's location. But sure enough, seated in front of the room's control panel with his face to the door, was Vegeta. The man was wearing a black button-up shirt and white slacks. Bulma didn't know what to make of what she found. Here was the stoic, always impatient prince of all Saiyans, sitting in complete silence. He appeared to be... Meditating? Bulma couldn't tell. She knew something was wrong with him, given the environment and lack of Saiyan armor.

After a few moments passing, Bulma broke the silence. "Vegeta, I figured you might be in here."

Vegeta opened his eyes slowly and glanced up at her, his always present scowl firmly planted on his face. He grunted in response.

Bulma took a sip of her coffee, taking note of his more-than-usual aloof attitude. 'Something is definitely off with him.' "I just came by to let you know that Trunks is ready to go. Everyone will be here shortly, and I thought maybe you'd like to make an appearance. It'd mean a lot to him." she informed him.

Vegeta closed his eyes again, sighing briefly. "Very well. I'll be out soon." he said gruffly.

Bulma nodded to him. "Alright. Don't be too long, or you'll miss it." she replied. She eyed him for a second more, then turned around and headed out, closing the door behind her.

Vegeta opened his eyes as she left, staring at the door to the GR. The Saiyan prince contemplated not going for a moment, then thought better of it. 'He is my son, after all.' he thought. He got up off the floor, brushing off his pants once standing. He glanced back at the GR's control panel as he walked out of the room, grunting to himself.

An irritated look passed over the man's face as he walked through the halls, making his way outside. Vegeta was thinking about what happened at the Cell Game, which was two days ago now. 'I can't believe you'd just die like that, Kakarot. You knew you had a score to settle with me, and you just died. Hmph, it's just like you. Playing the damn hero. Foolish.' he thought angrily. He stopped just outside the main living room. "I swear, I'll never fight again. I swear it." he said aloud, clenching his fists in frustration. Vegeta grimaced in irritation before sighing heavily, trying to think of his son rather than his dead archrival. He walked out of the building through the living room, the cool outside air greeting him.

Trunks leaned against the time machine, arms crossed and eyes closed. So far, only Krillin and Master Roshi had showed up. Both men were conversing with Bulma's parents not far away. Bulma stood next to her father, laughing at something Krillin had said. Vegeta was outside as well, leaning against a tree a few meters away from where the machine stood. Yamcha had called Bulma to let her now that he was on his way. So far, the people who hadn't made it were the Son family.

Trunks was growing impatient. More so from nerves than the actual time, he told himself. 'I wonder what's taking them so long... I'm really itching to talk with Gohan.' he thought restlessly. The young man sighed. 'I need to calm down. They do live pretty far away, after all.'

A few more minutes passed as the group waited. By this time, Yamcha had arrived, along with his small companion Puar. Both said their hello to Trunks, who was glad to see them, then moved to the growing group a few feet away. Trunks overheard Puar asking about is longtime friend Oolong, and Roshi explained that he left Oolong to keep an eye on Turtle back at Kame House. Trunks didn't hear the rest of the conversation. He had stopped listening, because something had drawn his attention to the sky. An energy signature. A familiar one.

A smile drew itself upon Trunks' face. "There they are." he said aloud. Trunks watched as a small dot in the sky slowly started to grow, forming into two shapes. Trunks figured it was his mother, riding the Flying Nimbus.

"Hey, Gohan's here!" Krillin announced with a cheer. The short, bald man chuckled as he waved at the new arrivals. The others gathered around him and waved as well. Vegeta merely cast a glance up to the young Saiyan, grunting as he turned his eyes back to nowhere in particular.

Trunks smiled and walked over to the group, coming to a stop just beside his mother. Bulma looked at him curiously when she noticed him standing next to her. Trunks gave her a sidelong glance and nodding, answering her silent question. He was ready. There's no reason he should feel nervous or embarrassed about asking Gohan something like this. 'This is Gohan. Younger, but still the same person I knew in my time.' Trunks thought confidently.

Gohan was the first to speak when they landed. "I'm sorry that we're late, everyone. It's my fault. I guess I just got distracted getting ready." the boy explained as he threw the familiar group the infamous Son grin. Trunks smirked as he watched the young Super Saiyan. 'This is Gohan how he should have been. Happy and carefree. Truly.' he thought.

Chi-Chi hopped off Nimbus and walked up next to her son. "Yes, well. It seems that Gohan acts more like his father than I thought, and we all know how absent-minded Goku could be." she remarked, casting a half-glare at the boy. Gohan laughed nervously at her, while the rest of the group laughed at Chi-Chi's remark of Goku. It was good to speak of the man in a lighter tone.

After everyone had finished with their respective greetings, they all gathered in a haphazard half-circle in front of Trunks, who was now facing them in front of the time machine. Vegeta still leaned against the tree, but had his eyes on Trunks, his attention focused on his son.

Trunks drew in a breath before he spoke. "I'm glad all of you could make it out here today. I would've liked to have the whole group with us, but it is what it is. You'll hopefully be able to relay the info to them at some point or another." he began. He stopped and closed his eyes. The Briefs family knew what was coming next. Vegeta had overheard that Trunks had something planned the day before, but wasn't told exactly what it was, so the Saiyan prince was listening intently from his place under the tree.

"Everyone, you're not here for the reason you think you are." he said. Gohan and the others gave him varying looks of confusion. Trunks sighed and continued. "I wanted you all here so you could know firsthand. I have a... Surprise of sorts. For you, Gohan." Trunks turned his attention on the said 11-year-old. As did everyone else.

Gohan looked astonished. "A surprise? For me?" he asked disbelieving.

Trunks nodded to him. "Yes. For you. I guess you could call it a going-away gift from me."

Gohan grew increasingly curious. "Really? Well what is it, Trunks?" he asked as he stepped a few paces in front of the group.

Trunks looked to Bulma for a split-second, then back to Gohan. "Well, I got to thinking yesterday... I told you before how close I was with the you from my time." he started. "How he trained me. Taught me everything. He raised me, quite frankly. He was like the big brother I never had." He stopped for a moment, relishing the memories of his time with his mentor and friend. "He meant everything to me. And when I first got to this time, and saw Goku and my dad for the first time, then a much younger you, it was almost overwhelming. But, seeing who you are now, after all that's happened, it's amazing to me that, despite how different the times are, you're almost the exact same person in both. Happy, kind, carefree, and heroic. It's truly amazing." He stopped again. Gohan was at a loss for words, too choked with emotion to speak.

"All that thinking yesterday gave me an idea. I wish I could stay here, but I can't leave my mother unprotected. She needs me there to help rebuild. And it's crushing to me that I won't be able to see you again. But, because of that, I thought of my gift to you, Gohan. My gift is, well... Me." he finished.

Gohan and the others seemed confused. The young demi-Saiyan spoke up. "I'm not sure I understand, Trunks... You can't stay... But you are?"

Trunks laughed at his response. "Well, yes and no." Gohan just looked more bewildered. "I have a time machine, Gohan. I can use it to go back to the time when I was 11 years old, and bring that Trunks back here to this time to live here, with you. That way, you'll have a friend your age, and I won't be sad because, in a way, I'll get to see you whenever I want." the older demi-Saiyan explained.

Trunks' words were met with stunned silence. Gohan's mouth was hanging open in complete surprise. 'It's almost like he was reading my mind on the way here.' the boy thought in shock. Gohan tried to speak, but no words came.

Bulma broke the somewhat awkward silence. "My parents and I agree with Trunks' wish. The Trunks he brings back will live with us as if he were my older son. I'm not exactly sure how that will affect what happens with the actual baby Trunks, but our Trunks here seems to think that nothing bad will happen." she explained, hoping to erase any doubt the others may have had. Bulma looked over at Vegeta who, while still silent, had his eyes wide with shock. She regretted not saying anything to him about what Trunks wanted to do, but she didn't think he'd feel one way or another.

Krillin finally spoke from the assembled group not in the Briefs family. "Well Trunks, I think it's a great idea. We'll treat him just like we do you. I mean technically, he is you, right?" the bald man joked.

Trunks laughed lightly. "Right. He'll just be the same age as Gohan."

"I think it could work out great! If you think it's a good idea, Trunks, then we should trust you with it." Yamcha stated with a smile. His cat companion Puar agreed with him readily.

"Yes, I agree. I think it's a wonderful idea." Roshi commented firmly.

"It'll be great for Gohan to have a friend his age!" the Ox King exclaimed, ruffling his hand through his grandson's hair affectionately.

"I think it's a splendid idea." Chi-Chi said. She put a hand on her son's shoulder, who had yet to say anything. "You think so too, don't you, dear?"

Trunks looked at Gohan. The boy had his head down, and appeared to be... Shaking? Trunks began to look concerned, but just as he was about to speak, he was suddenly wrapped in an almost crushing hug. From Gohan. Trunks opened his eyes wide at first, then relaxed and returned the hug from his young companion, realizing the boy was crying.

"That's the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you, Trunks." Gohan said through his crying.

They broke from the hug, Trunks going down on one knee to Gohan's level. "Of course, Gohan. This is something I really wanted to do. And I'm glad you love the idea." Trunks said as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Gohan wiped the tears from his eyes, afterwards shaking his head a bit gather himself. "But... Are you sure you'll be able to get him here? I doubt he'll just agree with you right away." he reasoned.

Trunks smiled confidently. "You just leave that to me. I've given that little task a lot of thought, so I think I'm prepared."

Gohan smiled at Trunks, his eyes full of emotion. "You have no idea what this means to me, Trunks. I was so sad to see you go, but now, in a way, you won't have to go."

Trunks gave Gohan's shoulder a squeeze. "Exactly. It makes it easier for the both of us, and my family." he told him. The older demi-Saiyan stood up and turned toward the time machine. "Well, if you all don't mind, I'll get started right away. No sense in waiting, right?" He walked over to the machine, pressing a button on its side, opening the top window.

Gohan looked up as Trunks jumped up into the machine. "What do we have to do?" he asked. The rest of the group had walked up behind him.

Trunks looked down at him. "Meet back here at this time one week from now. That should give me plenty of time to do what I need to do. I'd give you a shorter time frame, but the time machine doesn't just work right away. It has to cool down before I can use it again." he explained. Trunks turned to the console in the machine, pressing a few buttons and setting the correct time. He looked back down at the group, giving them a thumbs up. "I'll bring him back, guys. I won't let you down." he told them, a confident smile on his face. "See ya soon!"

Gohan and the others each shouted their own "Good luck!" as the time machine began floating up, gaining altitude steadily. The window on the machine closed as the machine rose more than 50 feet in the air. Trunks gave the assembled group a smile and a wave as the machine finally disappeared in a flash of light.

Gohan grinned wide as he gazed at where the time machine just was. 'Good luck, Trunks. And thank you again.' the young hero thought happily. The future could be very bright for him and his closest friends. Very bright indeed.

Next time on A Saiyan Legend

Chapter 3: A Friend in Time

Trunks journeys back in time to find his younger self, seeking to bring him back to the waiting Gohan and company in the present. Little does Trunks know that his seemingly easy quest will be a difficult one, an emotional roller coaster that will have him questioning his own actions and intentions...

Author's Note: And done! Whew, that was a tough one. I can't tell you how many times I backtracked through this chapter and changed things around. It was hard to write, but I think it turned out nicely! I believe the phrase "WHAT A TWIST!" is a proper way to describe what happened. But, before you go crazy on me about all the different time lines and what not, just bear with me. Trust me, I know it gets confusing, but I'll try to be as descriptive as possible. Having a Trunks the same age as Gohan is essential to what I want to do with my story, so don't be too quick to judge! That being said, please, by all means, review. Tell me what you think! I'm dying to know! Literally! ... Okay, maybe not literally, but you get it. Thanks for following along, guys!

TTFN - Slayer