Chapter 4: You make a first impression
Bra walked mindlessly through the halls flipping through her magazine, only stopping at the pages with stylish clothes and dating advice. She was easily bored in the house and wanted to find some interesting gossip to fill her head. She also sought tips on how to get Goten to take her on a real date. Up to this point, their relationship was kept on 'the down low' due to a particular parent's possible disapproval, but Bra was beginning to get impatient.
Goten is just paranoid. I'm sure Papa wouldn't care about me dating Goten. Papa always lets me get what I want.
She let out a sigh, slumping her shoulders in defeat; she would worry about that later. Her mind shifted to the memories of recent events and the arrival of Future Trunks, or Other-Trunks she liked to call him.
It's bad enough that I had ONE brother, now I have two! Plus Papa and Mama won't stop hovering over Other-Trunks. It makes me sick! What do I hafta do to get some attention around here? There must be something for me to do.
She was so consumed with resentment over the drama in her head, and the drama in her magazine, that she forgot to look in front of her. She ran into a soft obstacle, causing the magazine to slip from her fingers. Assuming it was her annoying older brother she yelled, "Hey! Watch where you're going ya big-"
Looking up she saw a startled young woman standing there whom she never met before. The girl was a few inches taller than Bra, and she was clutching at her heart in surprise. Her long sapphire hair had a 'just got out of bed' look and covered her almost naked body.
Bra said to her, "Whoa, sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?" Bra paused for a response, but only received silent confusion.
She continued, "Hey, I heard about you, you must be the new girl uh...other-Trunks brought home."
Bra looked over the bare body of the woman and felt just a minor twinge of jealousy at the unblemished tan skin, cool tattoo designs, and curvy figure. Bra reflexively grabbed at her chest and sighed in disappointment. Mama and Papa would kill me if I got tattoos. She shook off the self-pity and said to her new acquaintance, "I'm glad it was me who found you here instead of one of the boys."
The startled stranger only stood there with simple eyes as if she needed guidance.
Bra felt sympathy for her, "You look lost. How about I get some clothes for you? I have plenty of clothes to choose from in my room." Bra grabbed the girl by the wrist and did not wait for a response as she led her through the halls.
Bra was now excited to take on a new adventure to cure her boredom and to test out her fashion knowledge.
Scouring through her closet, Bra searched to find the best outfit that could fit her new friend, while also talking about the latest drama.
The girl remained quiet, politely listening, although never getting a chance to put in a word.
Pulling an outfit out, Bra saw that the woman was still shy and puzzled, so she told her, "I'm sorry if I'm confusing you. It can be a bit jarring waking up in an unfamiliar place. How about you go and take a bath, and then try on these clothes? You will feel a lot better." Bra walked her to the connecting bathroom, placing the clothes near the tub, "My name is Bra by the way. If you need anything just let me know."
Bra wasn't sure if the new girl could understand her or not, but that didn't stop Bra from sitting near the bathroom door to chatter away about gossip, boys, and the recent events in the house. Even though this new girl was a stranger, Bra felt comfortable around her. Plus she really needed to spew out all the thoughts that were on her mind to someone. Although Pan was one of her best friends, Pan was never one to like hearing about boys and fashion, while Bra never liked hearing Pan's stories of training and fighting techniques. It had only been a few moments since Bra met this mystery girl, but still Bra hoped that she could find the older sister she always wanted in this new friend.
Goten aimlessly eyed the pictures along the wall of the Brief's family room. He was waiting to see Bra or Trunks, not sure which he wanted to see more. He had come uninvited like many times in the past. He hadn't made his presence known and felt awkward lingering, but couldn't help but be drawn to the photos of his friends' childhood.
Then a noise from the kitchen startled him, and he spun around to find a familiar face grabbing a glass of water. Goten said in relief, "Oh it's you Trunks. You startled me for a moment. I was afraid you'd be Ve-nevermind. Wait...you're not Trunks. You're the other Trunks, I mean…Future Trunks right? Even though technically you're not from the future or something like that, right?" Mirai nodded, and proceeded to drink his glass.
Goten continued, "Wow, you two really look the same. It's hard to tell the differences at first glance."
Mirai was annoyed from constant comparisons to the 'present' Trunks, and "Hn," was his only response.
…
…
…Awkward silence….
…
Mirai felt that he had been rude by not responding, so he attempted to make up for it by trying small talk, "So…uh…Goten right? Are you here to see someone?"
Goten was a bit surprised by the question, "Um…yeah kinda. I'm here to see…uh…Bra." Goten's face flushed.
Mirai remembered that Bra was the Bulma look-alike and supposedly his younger sister.
Why is Goten waiting for her? Are they good friends or something more…
Mirai knew he shouldn't care about what Goten did, but partly from trying to be social and partly from a deep down instinct of brotherly duty to protect Bra, he asked Goten, "Are you two dating?"
Goten fidgeted from the question, and let out an uncomfortable chuckle, "Yes, and no. It's…c..complicated." Goten let out a sigh; his head hurting from recalling the reasons for those complications. Goten rolled his eyes, "Relationships. You understand right Trunks? You seem like you would be a girl magnet, especially if you're anything like this timeline's Trunks. He used to be such a heartbreaker, until he started dating Pan."
Mirai looked down at his now empty glass and quietly admitted, "I've never been in a relationship before. My world was so consumed with the androids and destruction that romance was never really an option or an interest to me. So, I can't say I understand." There was no lingering sadness and regret in his voice, just emptiness.
Goten bit his lip. He felt sorry for bringing the topic up, and now felt even more awkward. He also thought how odd it was that the man before him looked just like the childhood friend that he had known all his life, when in reality he knew very little about this version of Trunks. Goten's thoughts snapped back when in walked his childhood friend himself.
"Hey Goten! Nice to see you!" Trunks chimed, "You here to see my sister again? What are you two going to do today, Mr. Romance?" he said with a wink. Goten only responded with a blush and frowned.
Laughing, Trunks wrapped his arm around Goten's neck, feeling amused that he had effectively embarrassed his long time comrade.
Goten teasingly retorted back, "So Trunks, where's your Pan? Don't you two have a date or something? Or did she leave you? Because I wouldn't blame her for leaving an annoying guy like you."
Trunks only chuckled and the two began to play-fight, jabbing teasing comments at one another.
"I'm here, uncle Goten, so you can stop teasing my Trunks," mocked Pan. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her usual 'here they go again' look on her face. She couldn't help but laugh at the carefree sight, and began to participate in the banter.
There in the shadows, the "forgotten Trunks" eyed the scene before him, and felt out of place among these happy friends. He decided to quietly make his exit down the hallway to continue training. As he left, he could hear their voices slowly fading, the muffled voices of the life he could have had.
Moments later, Bra triumphantly barged in, raised her arms and shouted, "Hi everyone! I'm here!" She walked into the family room in her usual devil-red outfit. Her friends stood silently staring, but not at Bra. They were staring at the new girl walking next to her.
Bra said sarcastically, "Don't everyone cheer at once."
Seeing the direction of their stares, Bra proudly smiled and pointed to the young woman next to her, "You all like it? I picked out her outfit myself. She just started living here not too long ago. Her name is…uh…you know, I never really got her name."
The girl shyly smiled and gave a slight bow in greeting. Her hair was slightly pulled back in a ribbon just past her shoulders. She wore a dainty soft yellow dress with the sleeves falling a few inches past her shoulder, and the skirt stopping mid thigh, accentuating her long tan legs and revealing the intricate designs of her white tattoos. The light fabric neckline rested neatly off the shoulders, showing her sleek neck and collarbone. On her feet were small matching slip-on shoes.
She was about to say something until she locked eyes with the shorter-haired, bright blue-eyed son of Vegeta, and her face lit up from recognizing him. Only…she recognized the wrong him. She bounced over to Trunks, stretching on her toes to look at him at eye level. She stared at him, studying his face as if he was a strange, but awe-inspiring specimen at the zoo. Trunks felt odd at the intense attention, and his cheeks blushed slightly, "Hi…uh…nice to…uh…meet you?" He looked around at his friends to see if they understood what was going on, but they all gave an unknowing shrug. Her soft musical voice spoke, "You...I…know….seen…" Her speech was broken as if not sure how to speak the language.
The woman's eyes clicked back and forth searching for a memory. Then, as if a light bulb flashed over her head, she jerked up in realization.
Trunks shakily said, "Wait…I—"
Suddenly, she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his strong neck in an embrace. He was so shocked by this sudden closeness that he reflexively stepped out in front of him, but tripped and fell forward onto the ground, with her pinned underneath him. He broke free from her arms and stood up on his elbows hovering above her for a moment. He looked down at her and was frozen, entranced by her innocent yet sad eyes. He could feel her warm breathing form against his chest. Despite Pan's rising ki levels, Trunks couldn't help but find her beautiful, and unconsciously grew closer to her lips.
In a flash, he was grabbed by the collar, pulled forcefully away from her, and then thrown at the wall, causing his stone-like body to break through the flimsy barricade and onto the front lawn. The throw wasn't enough to put a scratch on the warrior, but his anger grew as Trunks saw the culprit before him grabbing at his neck. It was as if he was staring at his own reflection.
They floated in the air as their ki began to rise, swirling around them like a dancing vortex.
The thrower growled, "What the hell were you doing?"
Trunks smirked, "Well, well…if it isn't my other self. That's an interesting question considering I could ask you the same thing."
Mirai reluctantly released his hold on Trunks realizing the foolishness of his own actions. The rest of the witnesses rushed outside to meet them.
Bra began to shout at Mirai, "What the hell other-Trunks?" Bra spat the 'other' word to emphasize her dislike of him, "Why did you throw my brother like that?" Pan bit her lip and tried to hold back her smile because she had felt the urge to throw Trunks through the wall as well. Yet both girls were upset by this growing aggression between the 'twins.' Goten was innocently excited by the possibility of a great fight unfolding.
The woman in the yellow dress walked over and stood between both of Trunks, placing her hands over her mouth in surprise. Both boys dissipated their ki levels. Even though signs of a fight were fading, they never released their glare at one another.
She looked back and forth at both of them a few times, confusion written on her face. Finally she stopped to stare at Mirai, and realization hit her. She walked over to him and looked up at his face, seeing the glint of sorrow and familiarity. His eyes were a deeper blue than the ones she had saw previously. She gave him a gentle smile, for she knew that it was this one she recognized. She said softly to Mirai, "You…you h...help me. I thank you."
Mirai looked down at her, and was once again trapped by her gaze. What was it about her that drew him in? He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
He said to her, "Yeah...that was me. I…uh…I guess I never properly introduced myself. My name is Trunks, and his name is also Trunks and he looks just like me. It's…a long confusing story. But it is very nice to formally meet you."
She sweetly smiled and pointed to him saying, "Trunks."
Her voice was soft and gentle. Hearing his name on her lips made his heart ache, and his stomach flip. He had never felt this feeling before. He hated it and loved it at the same time. He didn't know why he felt this way, all he knew was that he wanted her to say his name again.
She then pointed to herself, "Asteri."
Asteri. A name as beautiful as the woman before him.
Everyone wanted to say more, but were all interrupted by a loud yell.
"WHAT THE HELL?.!" Screamed Bulma upon seeing the damage in her family room, "What happened to my wall?" She came running outside to see the young crowd standing with guilty faces. She growled, "Who did this?"
Instinctively everybody pointed at both Trunkses, while the two Trunkses pointed at each other. They all shook in their boots having experienced Bulma's wrath before and knew it was never a pretty sight. Even some of the fiercest warriors in the universe tried not to invoke her wrath.
Seeing the culprits, her eyebrows furrowed giving the 'death glare' to her two sons, her body shaking with anger, "TRUNKS!"
Both boys stood at attention. Bulma stomped over to both of them, crossing her arms over her chest. The twin warriors cringed waiting for the punishment to ensue. Bulma spoke to them in a low tone through clenched teeth, restraining her fury, "You two need to stop whatever problems you are having, and get over it! In fact I want ALL of you to go out. TOGETHER. Do something…OUT of the house, and try to get along. There are plenty of things to do around here, so go! Get out! So I can figure out what to do with this mess!"
No one dared to speak. If Bulma told you to do something, you should do it; and frankly, it wasn't a bad idea.
Bra enthusiastically clasped her hands, "Yay! We can all go out on a group date!"
Everyone reluctantly grumbled but knew they couldn't get away from both stubborn blue-haired beauties. The only one who seemed happy at the prospect of an outing was the naïve newcomer, Asteri.
END CHAPTER 4