Chapter 6

Trunks didn't hesitate to ask Goku to let him train with them.

"I was hoping we could pair off, father and son. Gohan still hasn't achieved super Saiyan."

Trunks hung his head. "I was afraid you would say that."

"Your dad isn't such a bad guy."

"No, he's just selfish and arrogant. Those are great qualities."

Goku looked at him confused.

Trunks shrugged. "It's only one day, right?"

"Well, it will actually be a year..."

"Ugh..." He rolled his eyes. "Let's just get it over with. I have to be stronger."

Goku smiled. He heard Vegeta in that last sentence.

Trunks tried to get used to the time room. He wasn't too crazy about training for a year straight, stuck in a room with a man who wouldn't give him the time of day. He took about keeping house, like he did with his mother. He took care of the beds, dishes, and laundry. It made him miss having someone there to keep him company. He took to singing his mother's songs to break the silence.

"Baby, oh baby, don't you cry. I'm here for you, you'll be just fine. I'll be with you 'til the end of time. You'll be fine. Baby, you'll be fine." He smiled to himself as he scrubbed the dishes. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Vegeta pretended not to hear the lullaby, but he knew it would haunt him.

Months had passed without a word between the two. They trained separately. Trunks hated being alone. It reminded him of his dark future. And he especially hated the dirty looks he got on a daily basis.

Vegeta wanted to be alone. He looked at Trunks and saw those piercing blue eyes. It reminded him of the woman. He started thinking about her more often than he wanted to, and it made him feel weak. This boy was a constant reminder and it infuriated him. He wanted to train with a clear mind.

One day Trunks couldn't take it anymore.

"Spar with me."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Spare me."

"I wasn't asking."

He glared up at him. Those blue eyes so much like Bulma's, but fierce like his own. "You can't compare to my power."

"I guess we'll never know." He turned away. "Coward." He deflected the energy blast. "Let's go, old man!"

"Don't call me that. I am the prince of all Saiyans." His hair transformed.

Trunks smirked as his hair transformed, too. They flew up and met together, Vegeta throwing punches. Trunks had learned to use his opponents strength against them. He waited for the ruffled prince to leave an opening. He put his hands together and cracked the other man in the shoulder blades.

Vegeta skid across the floor, looking towards the boy. "You won't catch me off-"

Trunks appeared in front of him. "Guard?" He punched right in the abdomen. "That's for earlier."

Vegeta connected with his jaw, sending him hurling to the ground, flipping twice before landing on his stomach. He got up quickly, avoiding another speeding punch. "You're fast, I'll admit that much. Kakarrot's kid is almost a passable teacher."

"Don't insult Gohan!" He powered up and rushed forward, missing Vegeta as he dodged. "Gohan is twice the man you'll ever be." He yelled between punches, enraged at the Saiyan.

Vegeta saw the boy tiring out and took the opportunity to knock him down. "That punk kid is just a weak earthling half-breed, much like you."

"Better than being a jackass who gets a girl pregnant just to run off and die!"

"No one is going to hold me back!"

Trunks rolled out of the way of the energy blast and dashed forward. Vegeta took the kick to his knees and fell. "You don't understand. You'll never understand the importance of family. They give you inspiration to do better, to be better than you ever were. They would never stop you from achieving your ultimate goals. My mother lost her family and it drove her to build a time machine. She spent so much time building that thing just to save Goku and all of her friends, especially you. You don't even deserve a woman half as good as her."

Vegeta punched him hard and continued punching. "It's you that doesn't understand. I hate being vulnerable!" He knocked Trunks to the ground.

Trunks looked up at him startled. His father was overwhelmed… with emotion. He understood everything at that moment. His hair reverted to its former state. "I give this fight to you."

"I'm not finished with you yet."

"I know, but we'll do this again. It won't exactly be me, but it will happen. He'll want to train with you, no matter how much you try to push him away. He will want to be just like you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your son." He stood up and stretched. "Oh man, I'm going to hurt tomorrow. I'm going to bed. Goodnight." He smiled to himself as he walked to the bed chamber. He could see what his mother saw in the man. His determination was intoxicating. It made Trunks feel confident and happy. He was jealous of his baby self who would get to spend his life by his father's side. He couldn't wait to tell his mother.

She couldn't stand being away from her family for a whole day. She felt as if they had just gotten together only to separate again. She paced around the house before finding something productive to do. The day was through before she knew it.

"Mom!"

She embraced Trunks. He was taller than she remembered. She smiled at his long hair. "You look cool."

"Thanks," he said.

She looked down at his tattered clothes. "What happened to your armor?"

"Well, we… I was training and…" His voice trailed off.

Vegeta was behind him, his armor sporting the same wear.

"Did you two fight?"

"No, Mom, we were training. It was just a few sparring sessions. We held our own against each other."

"Oh, okay." She watched Vegeta go up the stairs. "How was it?"

"I understand everything now." He smiled.

"What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "I don't want to spoil anymore of the future than I have to."

"That doesn't make sense."

"If love made sense then it would be easy. Isn't that what you said?"

She rolled her eyes. "I just said that because I couldn't think of a better answer."

"Mom." He put his hand on her shoulder. "You know what to do. You're the smartest person I know." He went up the stairs to the guest room.

She sighed and retreated to her room. She didn't know what to think. What did Trunks mean he understood? She opened her bedroom door and immediately met with a pair of brown eyes.

He smirked at her shocked expression. "Did you miss me, woman?"

She practically flew into his embrace.

Trunks' lullaby is sang to the tune of "Daddy, why did you eat my fries" from Adventure Time Season 2: Episode 1- "It Came From the Nightosphere."