THE VEGETA CHRONICLES

Chapter 13 - Homeward Bound

Ten Days Later...

Destiny is a fickle thing.

Its something that Trunks had to learn the hard way, after spending years training under his mentor and his best friend, Gohan. Despite how certain and set in stone most things appeared to be, since the day of birth and moments of critical conflict, the fated can always rewrite the path to their own destiny, however they wish.

Ever since his own mother, Bulma, had told him of her plans to build a time machine, things seemed to come full circle. He didn't need to hide in fear, or die fighting a useless battle against his oppressors, the Androids. He could tunnel into the past, and make his own present day a much brighter world. Even his own father, and all of his friends his mentor had made could've survived and become a part of Trunks' life.

However, one factor always remained the same: Destiny had a way of surprising you, when you least expected it. Through a series of unseen circumstances, Trunks in fact tunneled into the past, but not his own, but an mirrored dimension nearly identical in every way to his own world. The Androids seemed to be different in initial encounter, and the ones he recognized, weren't the same, and even had an additional companion.

Even then, that's not where the strangeness stopped of this past timeline he entered to save. A monster brought out of an indentical duplicate of his own time travel machine, named Cell, became the new monster that he needed to destroy.

Time and again, Trunks' tried everything within his own initiative and power to surface strength he needed to obliterate the familiar face of evil, sharing the same eyes of his mentor's killers. But even at his highest mountain of power, he was still outmaneuvered, and then treated as nothing more than a bystander to this timeline's Goku, Gohan, and finally, his own father in the end.

"I need to gain that power. That power that you attained on that day, father!"

His past words echoed in Trunks' mind, even now as he hovered over a vast lake on a deserted island his father had destined to be the site of their training. His own aura causing the water just inches below to bubble and create a veil of steam to surround his fiery golden aura. His piercing emerald eyes glistened with cool, focused concentration. His golden mane spiked to all sides and standing erect, and his arms raised into a ready stance along with his bent legs.

"Its not a power you can summon upon Will alone, Trunks. This power is a legendary form of raising one's potential to the next level, without losing mental and physical control over yourself. Letting myself fall into the darkness that I sought to escape my whole life was what led me to become a Super Saiyan. It was...liberating...to free myself of my goals and my forethoughts about Kakarot, about my Pride, about my Honor. But as soon as I got that power, those thoughts vanished with the energy that flowed through my veins, and I lost myself to my own shortcomings once again. It was only through being Humbled at the hands of Cell, witnessing Gohan's ascension, and my eyes being opened through your death that I threw away everything that mattered. Its through the pain of loss and the humility of oneself that you can attain this power, son. Use this knowledge, and perhaps someday, you too will be as powerful as Gohan and I!"

The Saiyan Prince's words echoed within his own mind, as he readied himself for another bout, having already sparred a good deal in base form with the eager future variant son of his. Standing with perfect poise and control on the edge of the island's cliff face, Vegeta kept breathing in and out, as a soft vibrant glow covered his body, thrumming with meticulous care and focus, unlike Trunks' barely controlled and wild Ascended Form. His left arm raised with an open palm facing down, and fingers curled part way into a fist, while withholding his right fist close to his side. His left leg bent forward, while the other leg's toes dug into the earth, ready to launch himself at his designated opponent.

"My whole life as a kid was nothing but anguish, despair, and bitterness. The only thing that kept me going was hope for a better tomorrow, something that the few I cared about kept instilling within me. When I saw Gohan lying there, dead, my whole world came crashing down. I lost it, and also lost my mind, as I became engulfed in a white hot flame of sheer rage. That's...what it was like for me to gain my Super Saiyan transformation."

Trunks inhaled deeply, before exhaling, as he slowly drew back his arms, clenching his fists that began to well with magnificently in between his fingers. He prepared for his assault, as he remembered his father's words echo within his forethoughts, as he began to thrust his arms forward, clenched fists glowing brightly with the contained energy dwelling within the small compressed space of his palm and fingers.

"Sometimes adversity and grief isn't enough. Sometimes, you need to find your own way to break the mental barriers that you have placed before yourself. I can't tell you and neither can Gohan. Its something you have to find out on your own, and most likely, the hard way..."

"We'll see about that!" Trunks shouted out, as he opened his hands and unleashed dual bursts of golden energy, letting them blast out with enough intensity to blast the water around his feet back a good ten meters and shave off the surface of the proximate earth around him. They roared out like rockets, as the two dual golden fissures rushed towards Vegeta with incredible fury and momentum.

Vegeta could only smirk with anticipation as the two guided missiles of pure energy rush towards him with incredible power. As the two blasts of energy closed in, Veget allowed his body to backpedal and then flip downwards, with his boots' soles narrowly evading the two blasts that raced across the horizon, tearing through the ocean's surface before exploding with thunderous force within the distance.

Just as the veteran Saiyan warrior suspected, Trunks moved around in a crescent clipping maneuver, leaving a tail of golden energy in his wake from his movement of super speed. Before he could arrive, Vegeta formed a knife-hand gesture within his left hand, and swung it towards Trunks' bullet-racing form, creating a cutting fissure of transparent energy to catch him off guard.

Trunks' manage to barrel roll towards the island, with only bare surface of his hair being caught within the warping wind that cut a swathe across the edge of the island's cliff face, continuing on until dispersing a dozen meters later. It was his mistake to lose sight of his father, as the Saiyan rushed forward and slammed a powerful hook across his face. Within a crackling pop distorted air pressure and a grunt of pain, Trunks' found himself veering to the side, while using the momentum of his injury to swing his right leg around and clip Vegeta across his own jaw.

When the two Super Saiyans backed off, wincing slightly at their slight scathing blows, Trunks' stared heatedly back at Vegeta whom contrastingly had a smile of reveling on his face.

"What's the matter, Trunks? Not enjoying our little spar now? I thought you had a lot more fight left in you," Vegeta verbally goaded, while crossing his arms over his chest, observing his son from the short six meters of distance they had from each other.

"I don't know what you're talking about, father. I'm having the time of my life!" Trunks' gutturally shouted in protest, his body's aura igniting once again, as he charged forth, with Vegeta doing likewise.

The two Super Saiyan bodies began to move at disorienting speeds, as they appeared to shimmer to and fro across the island's surface and airspace. Sonic booms cracked the once lush, tropical landscape, and cracked the solid rock formations, quickly deteriorating the island with their battle's ferocious acceleration and vigor they placed into their attacks.

Both of their fists smashed into each other's, followed by shins, knees, forearms, elbows, and even foreheads. Every time their strikes would meet, flashes of golden-white light would be dispersing within wide arcs, imitating arcing tendrils of lightning as their bio-electricity vented from the pores of their skin. Despite all of this, two pairs of expressions were shared and continued to trade glances throughout all of their traded blows.

Vegeta's confident smile held true, while his eyes studied Trunks' hardened stare and gritted expression. As their battle intensified, the Saiyan father decided to bring something up as their two palms locked into a mutual grapple, "So, have you thought of getting a mate?"

Trunks' eyes widened with shock at hearing this, promptly allowing him to be pivoted around to his right side, allowing a powerful left snap kick to hit his exposed side, launching him up into the air with an excess shockwave billowing across their battlefield's airspace. As soon as he righted himself up, he halfway blushed as he glared down vehemently at his smug grinning father, "Is this really the time for us to talk about that?!"

"I think its a perfect opportunity for us to have a little chat," Vegeta reasoned, shrugging his shoulders as he raised his body up to be level with his son once again, "besides, whether you believe or not, these past few months have been worrying your mother. Ergo, it has also become a concern of mine, when you make less than half of the progress you were making during the half year we trained before that Tournament that brute, Bojack, infiltrated. So, I decided to ask if you needed to have a mate of your own, to take your mind off whatever depression you've dropped into."

"I'm not depressed, father, and I don't need a girlfriend, let alone a mate!" Trunks shouted back incredulously, throwing his arm out to the side, as he glared at his father for prying, "why would you even think that?!"

"Considering the fact that ever since the Tournament, it seemed that every one of your earth friends, and even Kakarot's son, has found a girl-mate, they've all been making significant progress in their training. The warmth of someone else is comforting, take it from your father who's been nothing but solely devoted to training these past several years," Vegeta reasoned, his smile dropping and his brows knitting into a frown at Trunks' irate visage he projected towards him, "if you have no person to tie you down in this world, what drive do you have?"

"I need to become stronger, not get tied down into this world!" Trunks' snarled out with frustration, finally leaping towards Vegeta, recklessly swinging his arms with repetitive fury and iration, "you, and all of my friends, all belong in this world and have become significantly stronger since Goku's departure. What have I gained since he left? What have I accomplished? NOTHING! There's nothing here for me anymore!"

Even as Trunks' fists hammered at Vegeta's defenses, his own face began to contort into a snarl of frustration. His son was making no sense to him. When he first arrived he was by far one of the strongest warriors alive. He had grit that rivaled his own, but a cool head and tactful thinking that gave Piccolo and Goku a run for their money. Though he miscalculated the drastic changes of his time traveling to their moment of history, he had the guts to do it anyways, with the hope of a better tomorrow.

But ever since Cell defeated him, killed him, and the Tournament, Trunks' behavior had been slowly welling up with a visible sense of welling anger. What for, Vegeta wasn't sure, and it seemed like no one could reach him. As if his mind was on another track, and refused to align with those around him to catch up. It caused Vegeta to become unnaturally distant, and angry at his son for ignoring him when their relationship just began to mend after Goku's death and farewell. Was he not good enough for him now? Was anything worth living for in this world for his future son?

It then clicked in the Saiyan Prince's head, and words came out before he could regret them.

"Nothing, you say?!" Grasping one of Trunks' incoming wrists, he weaved his head around to evade the other punch Trunks delivered. With a swift grappling pull of the extended forearm, and a twist of his body, he slammed his elbow smack dab within the epicenter of the young Saiyan-hybrid's gut. The force caused his eyes to white-out and wads of saliva to project out of his gaping mouth, as Vegeta retracted his arm from his stunned son's chest, "then why don't you go back if you're that homesick for your Hell-ridden world!"

KRAK-VOOM! Vegeta threw a bio-electric crackling punch across Trunks' face, sending him into the center of the island. His pinwheeling body crashed inwards and unleashed an explosion that blew away the formerly appealing, uninhabited island into debris, throwing back huge swathes of water before it became buried within the debris-ridden rock and soil.

Within but a few moments passing, Trunks jettisoned out of the sinking island, sporting a bleeding lip and an angry look in his eyes. The words that came next, would be ones that the father wouldn't have expected to hear, "FINE! Consider me gone!"

A bright flash of light flowed into the horizon, as Trunks rocketed away from his father with a deafening sonic boom left in his wake. In that moment, Vegeta felt his arms fall to their sides, and his fighting spirit leave him, as he realized the severity of the situation. Even as his Super Saiyan aura began defuse, leaving nothing but raven locks and onyx eyes.

"What just happened?" Was the only words that Vegeta could speak, as he rhetorically wondered what truly transpired between him and his son.

"Y-Y-You're leaving?!" Bulma spoke with a shrilled voice of shock and dismay, as she held her biological child, as she saw her son from the future pack his bedding and what few earthly possessions he acquired during his time living in the past.

"You sound surprised, mom," F-Trunks spoke matter-of-factly, keeping his back turned to her as continued to fill his backpack, "I was going to leave eventually. I can't leave my own timeline to be defenseless, now that the Earth is safe again."

"But...its just so soon," Bulma spoke with a sad tone, as her eyes looked down to the floor, as she cradled K-Trunks in her arms, "will you come back to visit? I mean, if you help make your world safe, travel back here won't be impossible, right?"

"I'll try to come back in a year. It may be longer, not sure," F-Trunks spoke matter-of-fact, as he sealed his pack and hauled it over his shoulder, looking back at his sad mom with a weary expression, "I promise I'll be back in a year to see you again. I've made enough bonds here that I can't forget all of you."

"I know," Bulma raised her tear-ridden eyes, as a sad yet understanding smile crosses her face, "I was just hoping you'd stay a little longer, and be a big brother to little Trunks here."

"That's Gohan's job, at least, for a little while," F-Trunks spoke with an assuring grin, making sure to start walking past his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder as he passed her by, "he's a good kid, spitting image of my mentor too. One of these days, he'll make a good leader and a good friend to my younger self, and his little sister. Unlike me, he'll be a good role model."

"Don't sell yourself short, Trunks Briefs!" Bulma spoke in a reprimanding tone, putting a fist on her hip as she watched him head towards the door. The mother began pouting her lips in emphasis, which was hilariously mimicked by her one year old child in her arms, "you're a hero to all of us, more than you realize."

F-Trunks couldn't help but smile appreciatively at his mother, causing himself to turn back around and wrap his arms around her into a tight hug, "I promise I'll come back to visit, mom."

Even as tears began to drip down her cheeks, Bulma couldn't help but whisper with a smile on her face, "Don't ever be a stranger here, Big Trunks."

"I told you not to call me that, mother," F-Trunks spoke with a feigned drop of irritation, as he released his young mother from his grip, and turned to head outside.

When he exited, he was in for a big surprise. Gathered within the Briefs' backyard was none other than most of the Z Warriors, including Videl and Gohan, within their midst.

"H-How?" F-Trunks asked as his eyes scoped each friend of his he made, standing before him with knowing looks in their eyes, "how did you know I was leaving?"

"You really think that after the fight you had with Vegeta that I wouldn't notice? These ears of mine aren't for decoration, you know," Piccolo spoke matter-of-fact, the Namekian emphasized with humor by donning a smirk on his face. Returning to a grim composure, Piccolo's arms crossed over his chest, "I contacted everyone who wanted to come to say their goodbyes. Your father's mind was closed off to me, no doubt not being in the mood to wish you off."

"He wasn't very keen on goodbyes the first time around. I didn't expect him this time either," F-Trunks spoke with a solemn tone, bowing his head, exhaling with resignation, "I guess I should thank him. Despite his awkward way of going about things, he realized that I was feeling out of place here. With all of you excelling far faster than I could, with motivations and goals that tie you here, I've yet to find a measure of closure back in my world. Maybe there, I can find the spirit to gain the kind of strength all of you have gained."

"Relax, Trunks, no need to fret," Krillin spoke out with a smile, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "you were probably the strongest guy we all knew next to Goku when you came, and even then, you were still our most trusted friend. You defended Vegeta when not many of us would, and you stuck with him to the end. That's the kind of strength few people, few sons, can attain in a lifetime."

"Thanks, Krillin," F-Trunks smiled softly at Krillin, giving him a thumb's up, "not sure how I still feel about you dating an Android, but I wish you well. Not many have the heart and passion that you've displayed in the short time I've known you. Keep being yourself, and you'll be everyone's most reliable confident ally."

"Will do!" Krillin spoke back with a bashful salute, still blushing on the comment of him dating the majestic 18.

"Go kick some Android ass when you get back to the future!" Yamcha spoke with an upraised fist and a anticipating smile, "and if Cell happens to be there, go kick his ass too!"

"Shouldn't be a problem, considering how much weaker they were in my time compared to this one. Maybe after I'm done taking them apart, I can discover the reason for the difference in strength," F-Trunks shrugged, as well as verbally analyzed.

"Its a moot point to consider. There probably won't be anything left of the Androids once he's done with them," Tien shrugged as he smirked wryly, perceiving just what kind of fate the sinister identical Twins of the future would experience.

"One thing is clear, when I find the Androids, I'll make them pay for all of their slaughter and crimes. They won't hurt anyone else," F-Trunks spoke with a determined, assured tone, his voice becoming graveled as he thought of the two nightmarish entities that haunted him and his family for so long. Finally, the nightmare would end forever, and by his two hands no less. He knew his father, of today and of the future, would be proud.

The last of his assembled comrades he turned to say goodbye was Gohan and Videl.

The boy continued to impress and amaze him. He felt guilty for dragging him out three months prior, and almost keeping him from seeing his own baby sister being born. That, and he endangered Videl, a neophyte student in the ways of Ki manipulation and harnessment. He was glad to note that his brotherhood hadn't waned from the incident and Gohan was still as happy to see him, as he was sad that he was leaving.

"I'm going to miss you, Trunks," Gohan bowed respectively to the elder Saiyan, looking up to him with a sad smile, "you were always there for us, even when things didn't look so good. Just...wanted to say how much I appreciated your friendship too."

"Same here, Gohan," F-Trunks smiled appreciatively, raising a fist up to tap the son of Goku's own knuckles with a sign of mutual respect, "you may not be my mentor, but you have taught me things I needed to learn just as much. One day, you'll do everyone proud, and take the mantle of protector from your dad when the time is right."

"It means alot to hear you say that," Gohan spoke with a shaking voice, as his eyes began to water up, forcing him to rub his eyes. The last he felt was a strong hand, calloused and tender, stroke his hair compassionately, earning an upwards look of awe and comfort at his surrogate brother. Even as he sniffled, a smile crawled back up on his face as he whispered back, "thanks."

"Hang tight," F-Trunks raised his hand off Gohan's black haired head.

This allowed Videl to briefly grapple him around the neck and give him a noogie, as she giggled playfully when she drew her eyes back up to Trunks, "You don't worry about this guy, I'll keep him on his toes and out of trouble!"

"I have faith in you, Videl. You have the potential of surpassing every human on the planet. Just keep training and remember what Gohan and I have taught you," F-Trunks spoke with a proud voice, giving her a thumb's up.

"No problem! You just...go back...to the future," Videl struggled to finish her sentence, realizing how outrageous it sounded in her mouth, "geez, dad had a hard time believing in people who could conjure energy enough to create beams that could blow up entire cities, let alone an entire planet. I don't think he'd accept the idea of time travel. He might have an aneurysm from the shock, hahaha!"

"Probably best if he didn't know," Gohan spoke sagely, albeit had a smile on his face, "I can't imagine the stress he'd go through being paranoid about being abducted by aliens and the like because of the information overload!"

With that, nearly all the assembled friends and family laughed. It was this one moment that F-Trunks looked around at each of the faces he got the chance to know and fight alongside, the ones he never got the chance to meet in his childhood. It felt so surreal, that he got the opportunity to fight with people who were long dead and gone in his world. He hoped to see these friends he made in this timeline, after he made sure his world was safe.

As he walked to the center of the backyard, he reached into his blue jacket pocket and produced a single capsule. Worn, rusted, it had been quite a while since he ever needed to use it. With a single click, he tossed the small device forward, allowing it to explode into a bout of smoke and reveal his faithful transport across space and time.

Reaching towards the ladder to climb up the egg-domed machine, he heard a familiar cry that caused him to halt.

"Unkie-Twunks!" Turning his head over his shoulder, he saw Bulma approaching the machine with his present-timed counterpart sniffling sadly. It gave him a bout of nostalgia, having saw his own mother's tears when he left for the past for the first time. The young one year old K-Trunks struggled to reach out to F-Trunks, hoping to drag him away from the strange vehicle that'd take him away, "no go! Unkie Twunks stay!"

"Sorry kiddo, but I have to," F-Trunks hung off from the ladder, giving his present self a half-hearted salute to him and his mother, "be good to your mother."

With that said, he popped open the glass hatch of his time traveling machine, throwing his backpack into it shortly after he leaped onto the seat himself. Within moments, the machine revved up, humming aloud with power and control, levitating higher and higher up into the air, ready to disappear into the sky.

"Take care, my big man!" Bulma shouted out, even as tears streamed down her face and her child's, still blubbering with sadness at seeing his "uncle" leave so suddenly.

As he gazed out at the gathered friends waving down at him, and his mother, he couldn't help but allow tears to travel down his face, glimmering with the reflection of the Sun behind his machine. Hitting a few switched, his machine began to travel forward, making sure to set it so that only a year has gone by since he left. That way, the temporal rift would be stable, and wouldn't cause a replication of his future or this timeline.

Meanwhile, F-Trunks wouldn't see it, but Vegeta gazed from a dark shadow as his son began to rise into the sky. He didn't know how long he'd be gone, but he knew it would be awhile before he returned. He couldn't take his eyes away, even as the machine began to distort and disappear from all sight and sensation. Balling his fists, he turned around and ran the opposite direction, aiming to bury himself in training.

"The day you return, son, hopefully the shroud of doubt that holds your mind captive will give birth to a whole new warrior. I will ensure I'm ready for you, Trunks. You can count on it!" Vegeta thought to himself as he took off into the horizon, the sound of a deafening rocket as his trail flared up, leaving nothing but a blue-white trail of hot energy in his wake.

"In today's news, another island was spotted in the Pacific by satellite to have been demolished by none other than World Champion, Vegeta. It appeared to be the case of another bout of sparring with Trunks Briefs, son of Vegeta and Corporate heir to Capsule Corp. Concerns have been stated by the public of the new World Champion's habits, as their more prone open-field-training practices are starting to break apart portions of the Earth. While the Government has been notified and requested by the Press time and again, the Parliament and King Furry are still in consultation about how to approach the matter, as well as come up with an appealing compromise..."

CLICK!

"World Tournaments are into full swing. Most of the dozens of local 3rd Class Tournaments have been finished, with designated Champions gearing up for the 2nd Class Tournaments. Popularity for the revitalized sport is still in its high, as nearly the whole world is participating beyond areas that were previously-"

CLICK!

"The affiliated group officially known as, The Z Warriors, is the name of the abnormally strong fighters who attended the Intergalactic Tournament, hosted by X.S. Cash. While some people have taken a liking to the new defenders of the planet well, having previously been kept in the dark as to their existence, others are skeptical of their ability to protect the Earth. Some say they may be attracting these extraterrestrial threats, and others, believe due to the state of today's technology and advancement, that we ourselves are attracting newfound threats who wish to destroy and take over our world. In any case, whether its a blessing or a curse, this reporter is glad to have the Z Warriors on our side!"

CLICK!

"Just a few more months until the hailed anniversary of the event when World Champion Vegeta defeated Cell, saving the whole world. While controversy still stands about the methods of this flame-haired warrior, as well as his approach towards media, we must not forget the sacrifices made by his fellow comrades and how he stood his ground against the menace, known as Cell."

CLICK!

With a final click, Master Roshi, turned off the television with a heavy sigh.

Rising from the television, he dropped the spare Playboy magazine that was crumpled in his left hand and tossed it on top of the sleeping Oolong. Grabbing his cane, Roshi walked to the door, and exited to the deck. Thanks to his faithfully adorned sunglasses, the lapse of sunlight only refracted off of the opaque lenses, allowing him to take in the scent of sea water and the warm weather that lapped across his white T-shirt and Hawaiian designed shorts, decked completely with flip-flops.

Outside, he saw Chiatozu, clad in a sleeveless shirt and black slacks with only bare feet and his tell-tale hat on, hovering a good ten meters above the edge of the island. His body glowed a cyan aura, as he meditated and focused, lost in deep thought to acknowledge the brief laps of moisture the incoming tides would bring to the shores of the small isle.

Watching him, Roshi sat down on the deck and laid his cane beside him, as he observed the young, former rival student of the Crane School training himself to break his own limitations. He couldn't help but be lost in reverie, not acknowledging the slow and purposeful movements of Mr. Turtle approaching him from the sandy beach, locking his eyes curiously at his old friend.

"Master Roshi?" The aquatic creature inquired.

"Hm?" The old, retired martial artist looked in the direction of his aged, animal companion, allowing him to smile with recognition, "oh, its you. How's it hanging, Turtle?"

"I guess I can't complain. It'd be nice if I didn't feel tremors on the beach every time I wanted to take a nap," the reptile gave a half-way shrug, briefly turning to look over at the distant Chiaotzu hovering above the incoming tides, "though I do feel safer with Chiaotzu training here. He redirects the those big waves that come in every once in awhile."

"It certainly good to know that the youth of this generation are eager to improve, despite being set back so much from the rest of their peers," Master Roshi nodded in the direction of the pale skinned midget.

"Mhm, it sure does," Mr. Turtle nodded with agreement. An idea sparked into his head, causing him to turn his gaze back to Master Roshi's, as he inquired, "does it make you want to train again?"

A tired exhale broke from the weary lips of the aged martial artist, sitting down on the deck while laying his cane down beside him. An elongated silence hung over the two of them, even as the prior looked down at the sand from behind his shades. Raising his right hand, he began to speak, as he flexed and turned the appendage with emphasis, "I spent a good portion of my youth learning from the best, fighting with the best, contending from the best. By the time I had discovered a method of attaining Immortality, I've already turned into an old man. I was known as the World's Strongest, only competed by other legendary warriors around the globe. But then, I saw the youth I trained turn into superhuman warriors. I guess a part of me was willing to stand at the sidelines, and be content to watch my students battle it out, and fight on the world's behalf, while I enjoy the rest of my long life. Then, something happened..."

Looking up towards the young boy, meditating dozens of meters away, Roshi clenched his fists as he continued, "I watched Goku die, someone I believed was unstoppable and had no equal, but he met his end all the same. He was but the first of many to follow. Suddenly we weren't contending with the Red Ribbon Army or Piccolo. We were at war with the rest of the galaxy's worst scum, and they targeted our planet as a big battlefield. Chiaotzu, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, many others would soon have their lives claimed, while I sat helpless on the sidelines."

Looking over to the sea-christened horizon, Roshi placed his hands on his knees, speaking with finality, "Maybe...maybe being content isn't simply giving up on fighting. Maybe being content with the luxuries of life and continuing to gain strength, is what I really needed to do all along. After all, as long as I have this life, I might as well put it to good use. What good is it being an Immortal if I can't use it for the betterment of the world, and for the protection of everything I cherish? Its about time I use my body's vitality to its fullest extent."

Standing up, Roshi's body began to gain muscular definition, straightening his back and allowing him to stand strong in the face of the misty breeze of the ocean. With a determined grin, Roshi turned to walk towards the ocean.

This caused the stoically and patiently silent Mr. Turtle to gape, his eyes widening as Roshi began walking to the beach's end, "W-Where are you going, Master Roshi?!"

"Its time I joined the ranks of the strongest, yet again!" Master Roshi called out behind him, a challenging tooth-full smile displayed for his old friend to see, "its time to get training!"

And without a second's hesitation, Master Roshi catapulted himself across the ocean's surface, his body moving at speeds great enough to break the surface of the water, as his body ran across it with much more power than any ordinary human being could muster. For the first time, the age-old martial artist felt a fire kindle within his chest, and passion long thought forgotten reawakened. Before anyone would know it, Roshi would become a fierce fighter yet again!

3 Months Later

Gohan couldn't work up the nerve.

It had nearly been a whole half year since he met the dazzling, midnight haired girl, Videl. Her fiery spirit, raw tenacity, and stubborn attitude had done nothing but attract the young man, having turned twelve within the last past week. The only thing is that until now, Gohan had never lived or socialized with anyone his age, boy or girl. To make things worse, ever since Trunks' departure, it had developed a eerily uncomfortable awkward tension around the two of them, when he continued to teach her, where they left off.

He couldn't ask Vegeta, having closed himself off from teaching the younger Saiyan, and having little to no direct conversations with anyone other than Bulma. This developed a palpable atmosphere of stress at the table during meals, as Vegeta would hardly strike up any form of elongated discussion or conversation, despite his wife's best efforts.

He couldn't ask Piccolo for advise, him being...well...Piccolo, who had no helpful advice when engaging in conversation with someone of the opposite sex of any other race.

Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin, despite being partnered with their own romantic partners, had little advice that Gohan wanted to seek. All of their girlfriends were abnormal in some sense or another: Maron was a ditsy girl on the surface, while retaining a wise and precise side that had knowledge of swordsmanship and martial arts, that managed to give Yamcha the inspiration he needed to increase his strength and newfound tenacity as a warrior; Launch was a Bipolar woman, who for all intents and purposes, had the rarest case of dual personality due to inconsistent sneezing; And last but not least, the beautiful Android 18, while the most reserved and seemingly normal of the three women, had a contained, nasty temper that rivaled any Saiyan's that Gohan knew of.

He thought of asking Bulma, but it'd be the same as if he asked his mom. The only help he ever got from family was his dad's small parting words, though he never knew for certain how much he could take to heart, without adding a grain of salt to it.

Gohan sighed, looking over at Videl, whom held a crackling sphere of her own energy in between the palm of her hands. It was white, and thrummed like a beating heart, with occasional spasms of shocking tendrils, showing just how much she was pouring her energy into it while constantly focusing her own natural Ki that flowed within her body.

He knew, now was the time, while the thought was still fresh. He'd know it'd take years if he didn't take initiative now, rather than later.

Hesitantly, Gohan walked up to stand right next to Videl, the latter still squinting her eyes in concentration of the tasking procedure before her. Looking to the side, Gohan scuffled his feet nervously, his cheeks already starting to build up heat as he spoke aloud, "Hey, Videl..."

"Hey, Gohan," Videl spoke out with stress and concentration, not taking her eyes for a second off the ball of flowing energy in between her hands, "need something?"

"Well...I was wondering...uhhh," Gohan scratched the back of his head, blushing even hotter as he kept his gaze down at his feet, his periphery locked onto Videl's glowing ball of hot light, "maybe...we could...uh...if its alright for you...when...you...uh...mmm...do...some...thing... "

Videl began to grind her teeth, annoyed by Gohan's sudden case of shyness, wondering what he could be talking about. All she could concentrate was the delicate task of continually harnessing her energy, maintaining it, charging it, and control her aura to keep balance. But all she heard was Gohan's voice, irritatingly distracting her.

"Gohan, please spit it out!" Videl spoke loudly, more harshly than she wanted to, due to the tenuous task at hand.

What she heard in response, however, wasn't what she expected.

"VIDEL WILL YOU LIKE TO GO OUT WITH ME?!" Gohan shouted at the top of his lungs, his face alight with bashfulness and embarrassment.

What happened in response, caused Videl's hands to suddenly lose grip of her energy ball, causing it to fire off like a cannon, and thrust into the horizon. In the distance, a collection of mountains combusted within an enormous explosion, sending a blistering wind emphasizing its distant grade of destruction.

Neither Videl nor Gohan noticed or cared about the distant, thunderous blast. Even as Videl stood to her feet, she couldn't help but don a similar mask of flushed cheeks to match Gohan's. Grasping one of her pigtails, she began to fiddle with it as she spoke aloud, "Well...I guess...that would be fine..."

"Oh!" Gohan responded with a startled realization, though kept his eyes away from Videl's at the moment, kicking the ground as his bangs hid his eyes, "then...would you like to...go out...to South City's boardwalk and just...hang out...there?"

"Sounds great!" Videl spoke suddenly, as she ran over to Gohan, grabbing his hand, and leaping into the air, "let's get going then!"

"O-Okay!" Gohan spoke with a sudden gleam, enjoying the fact Videl helped him break out of his shell, taking the lead this time around.

As they both shot into the air, they were encompassed into two pairs of blue-white auras. When they met at a high enough altitude, they began flipping around the air with their hands extended to either side, giggling and laughing with joy. They carved cloud "sculptures" in the sky, creating different shapes and different messages, enjoying their time spent within a place few people could experience.

"Let's race!" Videl proposed, veering close to his right side.

"Can you keep up?" Gohan asked with a challenging smirk, getting into the mood for the game.

"Can you?!" Videl asked him back incredulously, before pulling back her arms, and thrusting them forward, moving with enough speed to crack the sound barrier behind her.

This momentarily stunned Gohan, before giving chase with a daring smile. After he produced his own sonic boom, he soared with incredible speed and fury, intending on catching up with the stunning raven haired martial artist.

He couldn't help but admire the rate of advancement she made. It wasn't but a half year ago that she came in order to train herself to become as strong as they were, let alone harness her own Ki. Now, she was flying at speeds that'd rival any aircraft human kind would develop, not to mention was even giving Gohan a run for his money, despite being early in the game.

Within but a half minute, Gohan reached Videl's side, sliding next to her with his hands behind his head. A taunting smirk donned his face, as he easily breached her speed without even needing to pay attention to the direction she flew, "Give up yet?"

"Hardly!" Videl gritted her teeth with effort, pulling her arms closer to her sides, condensing her aura to touch the surface of her skin. The appearance briefly made her look like a speeding comet, nearly tripling her speed, leaving several sonic booms in her wake as she flew at an even faster rate.

This made Gohan's eyes widen with shock, having never thought of manipulating his energy in such a manner. This girl was truly something else, in the young Saiyan's eyes. Even then, Gohan tried to move as fast he could within his Base Form, leaving a powerful wake of blue light behind his feet, righting himself up as he did so.

Due to his own frustration, and his sudden urge to show off, Gohan engulfed his body in the aura of his Super Saiyan form. Grinning mischievously, he flew forth with a golden trail of energy in his wake, easily catching up to Videl's white-flaming form.

Before she realized what happened, she could see Gohan spiraling around her speeding form with ease, barely being distinguished due to his versatility, control, and velocity being higher than hers. Within a popping blast that startled her to a halt, Gohan raced forth into the horizon, before coming back with his hands behind his head, holding a cocky grin towards her.

"Stop showing off! I'm not able to increase my power by ten-"

"Fifty, actually."

"FIFTY TIMES?! J-Just stop that, okay?!" Videl spoke exasperatedly, groaning out at being corrected by the smug grinning Super Saiyan. As she flew at a much slower, albeit contendable speed, losing her blazing aura in the same instant as Gohan did. She slid her hands over her face, emphasizing her irritation at how Gohan handled himself, "let's forget the race..."

"Ah! Sorry, Videl," Gohan righted himself up, looking concerned that he hurt her feelings, "I didn't mean to show off. I was just getting a little competitive when I saw you moving so swift back there. I doubt my base form could keep up with the way you pulled that off."

"Really?" Videl asked incredulously, almost in disbelief. When her eyes met Gohan's honest ones, she giggled with mischief as she retorted, "I thought you did that to show off...not because you were threatened by little ol me."

"I-I-I wasn't threatened!" Gohan blushed with embarrassment, waving his right hand at the wryly grinning Videl, "I just felt a little more pushed to catch up, that's all!"

"Well I shouldn't let it go to my head then, right? Just like your big golden locks mess with yours, hmmm?" Videl asked expectantly, crossing her arms over her chest as she angled her head to the side in a demanding way.

Rolling his eyes, a lopsided grin adorned on his face as he looked away to his left, scanning the ground below, "Yeah, yeah, I get it..."

"Get what?!" Videl asked, suddenly rolling over to latch on top of Gohan, wrapping her legs around his waistline and her arms around his chest, just as her chin rested on his right shoulder, "get that we were both just being competitive, hmmm?"

Gohan's eyes widened, suddenly feeling very awkward and hot inside at the same time. As her voice tickled his ear, he couldn't help but gulp down his nervousness, as a small fraction of his pride allowed him to not stop out of shock, but continue flying forward. The uncomfortable rush of hormones also didn't help him out, causing him to mentally hope she wouldn't notice how tight his Gi suddenly became.

"Well?" Videl asked again, sounding a tad impatient.

"Ah...I...you're right! I was taking it too far!" Gohan spoke aloud with an anxious tone, feeling compelled to satisfy her and get off his back.

"See, was that too hard?" Videl asked with a whisper, before defusing her aura altogether, resting her head on the crook of his neck.

"Uh, Videl? What are you-"

"Shhhh, silly. You tired me out with that chase and I feel a little tired. Besides," Videl added with a contented smile, "you're body is really warm and...relaxing, so I'll just lie right here."

Gohan couldn't bring up words to describe the feeling that welled up within his guts. He supposed this was what butterflies in his stomach was to feel like, for he never felt like spreading a happy grin as wide as he did now. Even as he sped at a small pacing velocity, he couldn't help but enjoy the moments that he was spending with such a wonderful girl like Videl.

"If only every day was like this, then I'd happily give up fighting forever," Gohan thought blissfully, as they soared across the horizon towards their destination.

After they arrived, Gohan and Videl explored the cityscape of South City.

While it was a comparably advanced city, most of the buildings were at a much lower altitude compared to West and East Cities, having quite a few areas for entertainment and recreational activities. From food stands, to an amusement part, to a water park, arcades, and various places just to walk around for scenic pleasure, Gohan and Videl spent the majority of their day just hanging out like normal kids on a casual date.

The idea that this was agreed to being a date made Gohan, and even Videl's stomach's flourish with giddiness and joy. Despite having been around each other's company alone for the past three months, they never really got to spend enough time to really get to know each other. Doing so in a casual, fun environment definitely broke down the mental and emotional walls they placed as mutual martial artists, and treated each other in a much more nonchalant manner.

As they walked down the sidewalk, with the Sun beginning to set in the horizon, Gohan stared off at the beautiful sunset while enjoying a cone of ice cream with Videl. Walking towards a curve back to the city, Gohan looked over at the dazzling radiance that was cast over the young girl, enamoring his eyes and make his heart beat against his chest.

That said heart nearly burst through his chest, as his head whiplashed to the side when Videl turned to look in his direction. Despite him not seeing her face, he could feel the knowing smile stretch across her face as she ate her ice cream with satisfaction. Before Gohan knew it, he felt his hand reaching out to grasp a hold of Videl's timidly squeezing it.

As his eyes met hers, they both smiled as they walked back into the festive like city, Videl returned the feelings silently by entwining her fingers into his own. The act of acknowledgement of his physical motion of sincere feelings to her being returned brought a sense of fulfillment like none other than before. He had gained his powers through nothing but pain, anguish, and desperation. But standing next to her, felt like he truly had something he wanted to protect and preserve. If he didn't know any better, he felt like he was truly falling in love with Videl.

Gohan didn't think his day could get any better. And in a way, it didn't.

"My-my, don't you two look adorable together," A dark, eerily familiar voice permeated from the shadows and to Gohan's right side, causing him to halt in his tracks. The sound of it, rather than the recognition, was what caused his blood to grow cold and his heart pump fast with alertness. It even affected Videl, as she dropped her ice cream in a sign of startlement at hearing such a proximate voice beckon them so darkly.

"Who's there?!" Gohan's voice called out first, instinctively placing himself in between Videl and the unknown figure. Despite his best, he could sense little other than the presence that existed in the dark alleyway. All he saw, however, was a pair of glowing red eyes, as a dark chuckle pierced the air, causing the young boy to shiver and sweat with anxiety, "show yourself!"

"What, need to see my face to remember me? Very well," The voice spoke with a taste of dry humor, as heavy footsteps walked purposely slow forward. As the crimson rays of the setting Sun began to flow to the edge of the alleyway, the form was revealed in its entirety. A high collared, dark brown trench coat donned over what looked like a black armored vest with matching slacks with boots beneath it. The most disturbing thing was the revealed face, donning a braided top knot with an angled visage with nothing but glaring red eyes that glowed ominously back at Gohan in particular, "your father was always so dense, so I guess its a familial trait, Son Gohan!"

It was at this moment, that Gohan remembered the man standing before him, and what he was when he scathingly crossed paths with him. It had been almost an entire year, but he couldn't forget the voice, nor could he forget the red lenses for mechanical eyes. But seeing them framed with glaring flesh-baring brows, gave him a whole new look of intimidation as he shouted out in alarm, just as he dropped his own cone of ice cream onto the ground with disbelief, "Tao?!"

A/N: Crap Baskets. And with that, closes another Chapter, which was a lot shorter than most of the Vegeta Chronicles.

Now, to explain to my patiently waiting fans why I'm not producing as many chapters for both THIS series and the Other World Saga, I have to explain my predicament. In short, I've come to change hands with employers, and awaiting confirmation of my new job. Due to this and a number of other things transpiring in my life, its taken a little more time than usual to provide this chapters in a steadily hastened manner. But with things starting to look all in the clear, I should be able to resume my Chapter for Each schedule of releasing one for VC and one for OWS on the same week. No guarantees, just me hoping. Thank you for your patience and sticking with me this long.

Second note, WHEW! Over 10,000 Views?! This calls for celebration! :D -fires off many fireworks and eats giant cake- Okay, I'm done celebrating -3- But seriously, thank you all so much for your Reviews, Views, Comments, and Encouragement you sent my way. I couldn't have gotten this far without any of your contributions, and I'm glad to have you all as a fanbase to follow my progress :)

I hope you all enjoyed my tease at the end. With Tao upgraded and out for vengeance, how much of a threat does he pose to the deified-empowered Super Saiyan? Will Videl get caught in the crossfire?! Will South City be another victim of a superpowered brawl of titans and monsters?!

Tune in again on the next exciting Chapter of The Vegeta Chronicles!