For the past five days, Bulma had been fueled by hate and spite, trying desperately to build anything that could help her localize New Namek, or get Kaio-sama's attention so he'd tell her something, anything about her deceased friends and family, and fighting the incredible sorrow she had been feeling about losing the last love of her life: Trunks. She wasn't about to give up on her only son, the sole survivor of the massacre, and the one who brought her and their world peace, at last.
And yet, the previous night, another Trunks showed up and gave her exactly what she needed: information and the means to use it. The gods may have forsaken them, but the Briefs were stubborn if anything, and the universe could get bent, they would prevail no matter what. The Gravity Room was designed by her father, so she didn't need to be taught much of anything about it, just a little rundown of the math and the compass.
When Bulma woke, early in the morning and ready to go right fucking now, as the possibility of bringing her baby back energized her beyond belief, she quickly walked downstairs to verify that it wasn't all a dream.
Krillin saluted with a mischievous smile and a gesture to indicate she should be silent and come closer, as Tora had her back to the stairs, slouched on the couch. Bulma did so, quietly approached and saw what Krillin was trying to show her: Trunks and Gohan, sound asleep, holding onto each other, the older having sunk a little more in the couch and had the head leaning forward, resting in the hair of the younger half-breed, who had climbed on his friend's lap and had snuggled to hide in the open jacket.
Tora tried fighting off sleep, but the moment Krillin stepped away to go to the bathroom and get himself some coffee, the serenity and familiar environment, the smell of coffee and tobacco, the soft electricity buzz of generators, all claimed her consciousness, despite the different circumstances. She was but an exhausted, stressed being at the end of her rope, but she put on an alarm for dawn, regardless.
And now Bulma was gushing at her cute alternate younger son and an even cuter alternate child version of Gohan, and actually managed to snap a couple of pictures, whispering to Krillin they used to fall asleep together too whenever Gohan (her version) visited. 'Some things don't change, after all.'
The monk said the pair had been like this for an hour. Bulma did notice however that something else was different, apart from the long hair her 'other son' was sporting.
"What's this?" she asked Krillin, pointing at the sword that was resting against the young adult's leg. Bulma had noticed that when Tora went to fetch Gohan and Krillin, this other version of her son came back with a sword, and hasn't left it since.
"Twenty-year-old Trunks doesn't have it?" Krillin asked with a raised eyebrow.
".. No? He should?"
"Maybe? 784-Trunks came with it on both trips." The monk had started using the years or ages of everyone to differentiate those who existed in all timelines. It reduced the headaches for mistaken identities, but it was not an easy task.
"Well, do you know anything about it?"
Krillin shrugged. He never questioned why the version of Trunks he knew was armed, it never crossed his mind to actually ask about it.
The discussion was cut short by Tora's watch beeping, which roused the lavender-haired young adult. She quickly shut it down and slowly came to her senses, silently cursing about forgetting to remove the binder. Gohan didn't move, still asleep and at peace.
Tora first stretched her legs, appreciating the weight of the sword that was resting against her knee, then tensed her arms a little around Gohan, then her senses picked up on Bulma's ki, then Krillin's. She opened her eyes suddenly tense, this had an air of déjà-vu from her failure to use the Mafuba, and the idea that Cell was still around suddenly rang in her mind even for a split instant. With Gohan's presence, who had tensed as well when Tora's ki shifted and gripped firmly, the Brief brain took over to tell her it was all according to what she had planned and she calmed down. 'This is 787. To save older-me.'
An apology to Krillin later for having left him 'alone' and bailing so rudely on their conversation, which was dismissed by the monk who gathered the two of them needed sleep, logistics talks were able to resume around some coffee and the promise of hearty pancakes. And since no version of Bulma could ever be trusted in the kitchen, it was Krillin who volunteered to help make them.
The smell of fresh food being made eventually woke the youngest guest, and Gohan slowly moved away, all red and apologetic from having invaded his friend like that. Tora promptly ruffled his hair as a form of punishment while the 'adults' were cooking. 'If Tora-san let it happen it's because he wanted it to happen,' Gohan remembered out loud before he would be tickled again for doubting his friend's ability to decide whether something was appropriate or not. 'Tora has denied proximity with this version of Bulma-san, too,' Gohan had noticed Tora enforcing boundaries the previous evening. The almost-ten-year-old suddenly felt unique and happily rested against his friend for as long as he was allowed, enjoying the slow heartbeats and the calming presence.
The last details of the trip were planned easily by the four of them. It was decided that they would call each other often, at a set hour; the Gravity Room could communicate with Capsule Corp in the past, and Bulma indicated it used the same satellite system as the one Tora's watch used; that satellite system had been put into orbit as part of their space vigilance, prior to the Saiyans' arrival. It failed to pick up Nappa's and Vegeta's pods, but it was useful for other purposes later on, and had since been used by Capsule Corp for many different projects and experiments.
During breakfast, Bulma briefly explained she made Trunks' watch (and Tora's watch, by extension) to be able to locate him wherever he went, since obviously the kid was too stubborn to not go whenever the Cyborgs attacked. With a certain reluctance considering how a Bulma spoke so easily of her (and Trunks') numerous defeats to the Cyborgs, Tora demonstrated how it would call Capsule Corp and send coordinates to the main landline. It might have been a thing of the past for this Bulma and her Trunks, and they had about three years to heal from those memories, but for Tora, the Cyborgs and her reflex to call on her mother when defeated was still a sore subject. She kept it quiet even if Gohan took her hand under the table when he saw her start to tense.
The faster they'd depart, however, the faster Trunks could be brought back, so their departure was confirmed for that same morning. They could discuss during the long flight what to wish for and how once there, see what the Namekians would accept, and if there was a time limit to resurrect people. Plans and options would be bounced off between the four, they had more than a month to properly see their options and decision making skills.
Tora shook hands with Krillin and Bulma to wish them a good trip, and during the time Krillin went with Bulma to get some luggage settled, Gohan asked to speak with Tora in private.
"Are you sure you will be ok, alone, Tora-san?" The child asked, uncertain about his own comfort. Tora caught on easily to the doubts. Since he killed Cell, Gohan only slept twice, and only in her arms.
Bulma could certainly comfort him like she had comforted her son and another version of her comforted her, but this Gohan wasn't ready to open up to any Bulma about it, it seemed.
"I will manage," she assured but still opened both arms to invite for one last hug before departing. "I will keep myself busy until then."
"I'll miss you," Gohan admitted, holding himself close and breathing in as much as he could, arms around the waist of his taller friend.
Tora expressed a similar sentiment quietly, keeping her hands in his hair and on his back a moment, before letting him go to reach behind her neck, and undo the chain. He closed the lock and slid the necklace containing the dog-tags with the symbol for Tiger in Gohan's hands. A way to remain close and something to hold on to that wouldn't be her sword as she needed it for herself, as she whispered her own fears.
Tora's stay at Capsule Corp was a 'make yourself at home' order, after checking that indeed Tora was recognized as "Trunks" by most of the security systems, and Tora knew all of the passwords and other codes.
The trio was ready to depart to New Namek, after double checking everything. The Dragon Radar, rations, communication devices, a backup workshop and some tools as well as materials to repair if needed, fuel reserves plus some extra, a couple of capsules… Tora and Bulma went through the list, bouncing reminders out of each other for a solid half an hour, even if both were impatient, both were also paranoid of making sure nothing was forgotten. Once all was checked and ready, the ok to go was given. Communication tests to the watch and to the main landline, including with video for the latter, confirmed everything was functional.
They were seen off by Tora in a desolate land, as a spaceship departing from the middle of the city in reconstruction would have West City's survivors ask questions nobody wanted to answer. The first communication out of the solar system happened a little short while after; all went well, as expected from a Briefs invention. Tora waved to the screen from the Capsule Corp landline to test the video.
A couple of hours later, Tora found herself binder-free and looking through her alternative older mother's belongings. She had a month and a half to investigate and she had no reason to waste even a single second. There was much to do. This world's 'Bulma's computer' was running the necessary programs to charge the Time Machine, but Tora could still access the data.
"Trunks, during your first trip… Why did you leave in February 784 and not in September 783 like I did?" She questioned out loud. If things had happened in this universe like they had in hers, the medical records could give her the answer. And indeed, 'Trunks' was hospitalized after a severe beating by the Cyborgs in August 783, like she was, however Tora recovered more quickly than 'Trunks' did (the injuries listed were the same as hers, as she verified on her own version of the computer). 'Strange.' Only when he was fully healed did Bulma finish running the math on her Time Machine to see him off in February 784. The Time Machine and its pilot from this world weren't ready in September 783 like she and her vehicle were.
Her digging into the medical records also confirmed that this world's Trunks was male, but the photos she found of his 13th birthday with this world's Gohan were identical to the ones she had. Tora found herself observing this alternate but identical version of her cuddling an identical version of the Gohan she once knew, and she wondered whether this world's Gohan was proud of his pupil, who had managed to destroy the Cyborgs and bring peace to the world.
All was identical, from the angles to the terrible cake to them falling asleep together to the car, on those November 21st, 779 pictures.. Except for the sword. There was no sword.