As odd as their first meeting was, Gohan didn't resent Tora for jumping him. That 'younger Trunks' was an enigma, compared to the teen he once knew, but Tora, Krillin and the younger version of himself went out of their way to save Trunks. And the planet.

The cautious but intense glances Tora kept throwing his way were unnerving, and only illustrated the little information he got from everyone else. His younger self looked at Tora like he remembered Trunks looking at him, in a way, it was sweet.

"Devil keeps asking for you," Trunks mentioned to Gohan in passing.

Tora and Trunks had listened to the radio a lot while waiting for the ship to return, but Trunks had dismissed it; like Tora, he liked his anonymity, and having rid the world of the Cyborgs sufficed.

"She thinks you were him, right? Golden Warrior," Bulma lightly teased the reputation Gohan built for himself as the defender of their world, and how that title transferred over to her son, who clearly valued his privacy which was why he never came clean about his identity as the one who destroyed the Cyborgs.

Tora kept quiet, but her mind went to the title she was given in 767 and huffed at having been filmed. She drank her coffee and listened quietly with the younger Gohan at her side drinking a cold juice and idly listening and keeping company about things he knew nothing about. Like his older counterpart, who had refused coffee and opted for juice as well.

"I might pay her a visit before I go, if she's still asking about me, she deserves closure," Gohan wasn't exactly confident, but he was honorable like that.

After lunch and coffee, Bulma threw the two Trunkses and the two Gohans out of her house and only kept Krillin around 'to keep her safe' and to 'have an adult talk'. Her Trunks protested a little, but he ultimately obeyed his mother, to nobody's surprise. He didn't leave without a first aid kit, though, since his mother entrusted him with everyone's safety. They could return once they'd 'gotten to know each other' the Saiyan way, whatever that meant.

"Krillin, I'll need you to give this to young me," she slid something to this version of her long time friend. "And make sure no one else knows but her, alright?"

"Sure thing Bulma-san, what is it?"

"Well…"

The half-breeds from three different worlds gathered in the rocky formations where the Trunkses used to train with their versions of Gohan, one of which spoke fondly of the place. The youngest of the quatuor remembered the location as the place where Piccolo trained him, after his father died (for the first time).

"Alright Trunks, show me what you've got," the older Gohan requested after they'd all warmed up, and while Tora perked up, she resisted the urge to go at it.

Trunks did as asked and went to face his former mentor, but Gohan shook his head.

"I meant the other one," Gohan smiled sheepishly, and Tora glanced over silently, curious as to why. "You've not gotten rid of the Cyborgs of your world, right? Can't let you go without making sure you'll be able to handle them. Don't hold back!"

Trunks gave a little huff. Hadn't his mentor heard him say Tora was much stronger than he was? He squinted his eyes at the man with the halo, and understood there was something else going on. Tora had been quiet, if not mute since his arrival, and as much as they knew Gohan wasn't her mentor, he was nearly identical. 'Gohan-san probably wants her to work it out, but.. he doesn't know.' Trunks had been entrusted with Tora's secret, and as much as Gohan was trustworthy (either version), Tora didn't owe anyone anything, and it had been a clear hard line: she trusted him about it, and she wanted no one else to know.

Tora still accepted Gohan's desire to test her. She removed her sword and jacket which she gave to the younger Gohan, who looked as worried as Trunks felt. A faint smile was the only communication she gave to her friend to reassure him. She and Trunks exchanged places, and Trunks even raised his hand for Tora to 'tag in' as they crossed paths, and with a brief glance, she did as prompted. Trunks and the other version of Gohan decided to observe, even if they could have sparred on their own, their worries weren't at ease.

"Call me Tora," she said walking over, removing her hair tie and putting it on her watch, which she turned towards the inside of her wrist. The high cut black t-shirt perfectly hid the binder she wore underneath so as long as he didn't hit her or tore it off, she felt pretty safe.

"But that's not your name," Gohan guarded; he didn't really understand why his younger self preferred using different names, beyond simple confusion avoidance, clearly something else was up and he wanted to find out what it was.

The moment Gohan had guarded, Tora had transformed and was already charging him, right hand in front of her. Gohan had the hardest time reacting, only crossing his forearms to soak the incoming left-hand punch, and if the trails his feet left behind as he was pushed by the charge were any indicator, Tora had heeded his advice about not holding back, her face was determined, emotionless. By the time Gohan uncrossed his defense to send Tora upwards, he, too, had summoned the golden aura. Tora used the momentum Gohan gave her and flipped around to kick Gohan's jaw, which he wasn't able or willing to dodge. She then jumped back, her aura dangerously cracking around her.

"Do not call me Trunks. I am not him," she said flatly. Her heart screamed to embrace the mentor she knew, but her mind was set on boundaries. She wasn't this Gohan's Trunks, and this Gohan wasn't her Gohan, she had to shut down her feelings and reject him, regardless of how much pain it caused.

"Alright, Tiger," Gohan rubbed his jaw a little, the kick hadn't hurt that much, it was clearly just a way to deny him the opportunity to counterattack.

There was no doubt in his mind that this version of Trunks not only had a better technique than either him or Trunks had 'back then' (which wasn't difficult considering he had little formal training before his death), but Tora was also more powerful, ruthless and fearless. More.. like Vegeta. And seeing Tora as someone similar to Vegeta and not the thirteen year old he once trained helped. Seven years training in Otherworld and taking the fight seriously gave Gohan an advantage over this emotionally driven fighter. Seven years interacting with his father and (on occasion) Vegeta also helped him understand more about Saiyans in general and figured this Trunks attacking him when he knocked on the door was a reflex of sorts. His Trunks had the occasional violent reaction too, perhaps the younger one had been faster to act on it.

Tora had hesitated fighting the child she was attached to, but this version of Gohan? She was fine with displaying as much power as possible and lashing out. And she didn't even wonder why, she just acted on her bottled anger, since beating things senselessly had proven to be satisfying to Vegeta and herself in the Room of Spirit and Time. A Saiyan thing, most certainly.

The younger Gohan and the older Trunks were carefully observing, ready to intervene; Gohan was unsure how to guard the possessions that were entrusted to him, but Trunks offered to take them. After all, Gohan being more powerful than he was, it was best if he could easily intervene if necessary. He tied the jacket around his waist as it was far too hot for him to put it on, and put the sword on his back.

While they traded blows, Gohan tried communicating with the younger Trunks.

"Woah, Trunks didn't lie when he said you were more powerful," he started with a compliment while blocking a kick with his forearm. He already knew this Trunks was strong enough to destroy the Cyborgs, due to the power he felt when Tora jumped him earlier and the subsequent talk he had with the others, but now he was absolutely certain of it.

Tora tried not to care about his words, but they still got in. Unable to force her kick to connect as Gohan was more grounded, and when Gohan tackled her other leg, she dropped and rolled away, barely avoiding the foot that left a crater where her head was. She stood back up and prepared to charge again, but was forced to be on the defensive as Gohan went after her instead.

"Talk to me!"

Tora hissed, distracted by his insistence, she got the winds knocked out of her when Gohan's palm hit her straight in the chest. She jumped back and took a moment to breathe. This was nothing like the memories she had of her spars against her version of Gohan; this Gohan was a better fighter. She growled in anger, Gohan could have destroyed the Cyborgs, he had the potential. But instead he went to fight, knocking her unconscious, and died alone.

"Was I that different in your timeline?"

"You're not him!" She snarled, clenched her fists and charged again, electricity cracking in her aura. Her conflict had taken over and summoned the strength beyond.

"Watch out!" the younger Gohan and Trunks warned the moment they felt and saw the power surge. They had fought it the previous day in the Room of Spirit and Time, they knew how dangerous it could be, Gohan had explained how he couldn't control it, and Trunks knew first hand how super Saiyan could consume him.. and could consume Tora.

While the older Gohan appreciated the heads-up, in theory, he regretted the distraction that lasted an instant too long. A blink was enough for his opponent to get through his guard and punch him deep in the gut. Tora then moved forward, pushing the fist further in, and Gohan felt the danger. He phased out of there before the blast left Tora's fist, coughed some more and got serious.

"You're not him," Tora whispered to convince herself and stood back up, ready to continue. She was ready to fight more, but instead of attacking again, she guarded in the defensive, openly challenging Gohan to take her on. "I attack you, in your own world, at your friends' house, and you don't defend yourself?" She accused trying to get a rise out of her opponent.

"You really weren't joking, Trunks," he glanced towards his pupil, allowing himself a little break since clearly he was given a chance to attack, and ignoring the taunt. 'Tora' was indeed that powerful. He didn't miss his younger self's worried eyes that focused on Tora, and wondered exactly how strong he was. He guarded on the offensive, and got serious, powering up to charge and fully test the other's abilities.

What followed was an even but ruthless fight. Trunks, having developed better observation skills thanks to his month of intense studying, noticed how wrong the fight felt, but once Gohan got serious and raised his power beyond what he remembered, he had a hunch.

"Trunks is emotional…" He knew his younger self was as hot-blooded as he was, but this was alarming.

"Tora-san.. He and Vegeta-san trained together for a whole year.. He's.. so lonely," Gohan couldn't help but feel for his friend, and Trunks had to agree. He knew, he deeply knew what was in Tora's mind, but he couldn't say anything.

"I think Gohan-san is holding back and letting him work through it, 'the Saiyan way'," he allowed himself to say, trusting his mentor, but glanced at the young version of Gohan, hoping to get his opinion.

Gohan wasn't certain. He trusted his adult self. It didn't matter Gohan and Tora weren't from the same universe, Trunks was just a slightly older version of Tora and as far as he knew, with the exception of Tapion, their life together until Gohan died was the same. If Gohan loved Trunks, then Gohan loved Tora. He was older and wiser, so Gohan could do what was best, because he, too, would act as such in his position.

"Why do you resent me?" Gohan tried getting through to Tora, but she was not willing to hear any of it.

"I owe you nothing," she growled another warning and blasted his way. Gohan dodged it and blasted back, forcing Tora to duck for cover. Whatever strength this Gohan had acquired in Otherworld was enough to keep up with her speed and strength, but the two spectators knew better: Tora was much more skilled than this when cool-headed. Her distress was getting the best out of her, and Gohan worked her to the bone. Tora was Trunks, so he cared, it was only natural.

They continued their ruthless confrontation, Gohan trying to know more, Tora closing up and denying Gohan any sort of peek into her mind, until her exhaustion started to claim her mental defenses. She got angrier and sloppier, until eventually she completely lost it.

Gohan saw Tora charge and decided to brace for impact. Instead of retaliating, he soaked and wrapped his arms around this younger version of his pupil. Tora was trapped against him, hollering semi-coherent spiteful and distraught words.

"You went and died, leaving me alone, leaving me behind!" She hit his chest. Gohan winced but didn't give up. "Leaving us behind, abandoning us, like everyone else, like Father!" She hit again, but the strength wasn't there, the golden aura leaving her. "You could have won.. we could have won, together, Gohan-san.." She sobbed, hitting again, trying to fight off the hold, the embrace Gohan was giving her.

"We would have both died.. I wasn't strong nor skilled enough," Gohan whispered, knowing he'd have to say something similar a second time to his actual pupil, eventually.

"I died.. I died and didn't see you again. I died and went to Hell, Gohan-san!" she cried out and hit again. "And you don't even care I attacked you," she whispered in shame, shaking, her fists on his chest dripping blood with how strongly they were clenched. "I'm such a waste, it was supposed to be you.." her voice died, and Gohan held closer, ignoring the pain his body still felt from the blows and pressed Tora's head under his chin.

"No, Trunks, it had to be you, your world's hope."

"Those are lies, Gohan-san.. I am not a good person, I'm not him, I cannot be seen…"

His hand gently patted the messy long hair, trying to reassure. How could any Trunks be a bad person? This one was just full of doubts. Yet, when his other hand patted the back, Gohan noticed the thick fabric underneath and touched again, questioning. He hadn't felt it when they fought, so he was intrigued.

Tora immediately tensed when she felt the hand touch the back of her binder, Gohan trying to understand what the item was. She was brought back to reality instantly, went super and shoved herself out of his hold, then blasted off without explanation.

"Wait!"

"Shit!" Trunks knew what was up, if only because he saw where Gohan's hands went. He glanced over at the younger version of Gohan. "Please stay with Gohan-san, I need to-" he didn't continue his thought and went after Tora before she went into hiding, trusting the younger version of Gohan to understand what he requested and what he was up to.

The younger Gohan went to stop his older counterpart from following, who agreed with what Trunks requested, as he trusted his pupil to help.. well, himself. They got into a light spar while talking, since they were finally alone and could have the discussion they hinted at during lunch. The younger one explained everything. From the four timelines, to Tapion and the few differences between Tora and Trunks, to how they all reached super Saiyan. The older Gohan confirmed the theory the two Trunkses and his younger counterpart had, that it was indeed Piccolo's death that triggered his first transformation.

The older Gohan listened, attentive. This younger version of him was just a child, but he was also so much more. He had a shot at a peaceful life, and he wanted to preserve that, not plaguing him with his own decisions. Yet, he answered Gohan's questions.

Yes, he loved Trunks, the kid was their world's only hope, he had to survive no matter what. Even if both Trunks resented him for knocking them out. The older one probably felt betrayed as well, behind the burst of happiness of meeting his mentor again; he was older, more mature, had had a chance at peace and understood why Gohan did what he did. The younger Trunks hadn't killed the Cyborgs yet, and had encountered more terrifying obstacles (that the younger Gohan also encountered, which explained his reluctance to show his true power)… Lashing out was only natural, considering who Trunks' parents were. The older Trunks' mind was at peace, while this one wasn't.

No, he never considered Trunks a liability, but he and Bulma were the embodiment of everything they had lost. Trunks was too precious, too valuable to lose to the Cyborgs, and where he and everyone else failed, Gohan knew Trunks would succeed. He had faith.

No, he didn't see Trunks in the afterlife. Finding out he was dead for a little under two months pained him, and he was sure to ask Enma what happened, if given the chance. Gohan explained to his older copy how 'Tora' wasn't brought back to life immediately in 767, something intervened. His memory was blurry, veiled, but he remembered standing alongside Vegeta to protect 'Tora', he remembered feeling worried and confused, remembered Tora's first wish and how the Dragon 'couldn't affect anything that wasn't from this universe'. He remembered how it was all sorts of wrong.

Yes, Piccolo, Goku, Chichi, and everyone else was at peace in Otheworld, as much as they could considering how they couldn't know about what was going on on Earth. They found out Trunks had succeeded because Enma made sure the message was passed along when their souls were processed. Vegeta was a whole other issue, but Gohan already told his pupil he would make sure Vegeta knew it was his son who avenged them all. Twice. Three times, if Tora's own world was to be included in the near future.

Gohan asked his younger counterpart about the thick fabric he felt, and the child responded that 'Tora wasn't ready to take off the armor' . It was a little like the armor Vegeta wore, but underneath. Perhaps it was a habit Trunks took after Gohan's death, and had been ready to 'take it off' once the Cyborgs were dealt with, considering Trunks wasn't wearing anything similar, despite having the same clothes as Tora.

Yes, he pushed Tora on purpose. Gohan knew Trunks, and by extension, 'Tora', must have had a hard time accepting the conditions of his own death; he wanted Tora to confront him about it, since Tora attacked him. He explained to his younger counterpart something about 'apologizing the Saiyan way', as he had understood it from Vegeta, both after Goku's death, and after his own death: fight with the offended party until they get it out of their system. Gohan wanted Tora to express it, express why he was attacked the moment they met. He didn't need to verify whether Tora was strong enough to deal with the Cyborgs, it was just an excuse.

Tora had also expressed distress, this was just the straw that broke the camel's back, according to the younger Gohan: seeing a world of peace, when Tora hadn't brought said peace to 784, the year and a half apart from 784's Bulma, Sixteen's death ( 'the Cyborgs in my world turned out to be good people, at least the one named Sixteen was good,' talk about a twist! Gohan warned against giving that piece of information to Bulma, she who had lost everyone to the monsters...), Vegeta's blatant disregard followed by his rage when Tora died… And now, seeing a Gohan that was identical to the one who raised Tora, all while knowing it wasn't him … Differentiating those loved ones from their alternate selves was of utter importance for Tora, for a reason neither Gohan could figure out.

And yet, Tora accepted the baby, and accepted the younger Gohan. He also remembered distinctly how Tora had accepted Vegeta as 'Father' in the diary, but had promptly returned to 'Vegeta-san' after their encounter with Cell. Tora had opened up, accepted the bond, and ended up being wounded. He didn't tell his older counterpart about it, Tora's diary was entrusted to him and him only after all.

The older Gohan mentioned something about Vegeta, about the Saiyan ways he had come to experience, between his father's death and the Cyborgs attacking.

"You know, before Vegeta-san died here," Gohan explained while parrying and hitting back, using the martial arts techniques his father ended up being able to teach him in Otherworld, "He told me how Saiyans expressed themselves through fighting. He beat the living crap out of me when dad died, that is how he mourned." The younger Gohan gulped at his counterpart's words. He didn't want to fight Vegeta.. again. "We didn't inherit that, but Trunks probably did. The two of them. 'My' Trunks is more mellow now…" 'But when he was younger…'

"You believe Tora-san will be better once he travels back home and kills the Cyborgs and Cell…" The child had to rephrase to get confirmation. The older one acquiesced while attacking and blocking the younger's counters.

"That will be the first step. He said he wasn't a good person, that he went to Hell when he died, can you believe that?" Gohan stated and kicked towards his younger self who barely managed to block, so shocked he was by the affirmation.

"Tora-san said that?" No, he couldn't accept it, he'd prove it! And he had a good idea how to do that.

He exposed the plan to his older counterpart who agreed without reserve. Tora's actions had saved them all, across three worlds, it was time they gave back something, a peace of mind.

Satisfied with their spar, and since showing was better than just telling, Gohan stood away and summoned the 'Ascended super Saiyan' form, as he and Tora had nicknamed it, and went through the motions of the emotions he felt when everything happened, and how it took over him. It was the same power that Tora displayed earlier, perhaps unconsciously. Gohan had feared super Saiyan, but thanks to his older self's warning, thanks to his words he heard through Tora, he was more cautious, more in control when he trained to obtain the form in the Room of Spirit and Time (which is why he was ten years old and not nine). That was, until Cell pushed him by killing Sixteen, and his hubris, his temper caused his father's and Tora's deaths.

Gohan dropped the transformation before self-loathing took over, and his older self gave him comfort and understanding. Knowing Son Goku, death was but a new adventure, and in the end hope and life had returned to their world. Like Tora, Gohan had to move forward and heed his father's last words. And they'd do it together, one way or another.

'I'm proud of you, son, you did amazing.. Tell mom I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything. Please, Gohan, be happy.'

Trunks did his best to not lose Tora's trace, the trails left in the clouds indicating her direction, and when her energy signature dropped, he landed in the rocky formations where the young woman went into hiding. They were a place he knew very well, a place he used to go to when he needed to be alone. The river was more beautiful than he remembered, the planet having been healed gave it back its shine. He went upstream until he found the secret he knew about. He hovered towards the cave hidden behind the waterfall, expecting to be met by a ki blast, but wasn't. If Tora was in there and wasn't lashing out at him for approaching, then it was as good as an open invitation. Trunks used his arm to part the waters and get in with minimal splashing and checked if indeed this was where Tora had gone in hiding, suddenly doubting if she was really there.

"It should have been you," he heard her shaky voice repeat something.

When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw his alternate self sitting at the back of the little cave, light reflecting on her soaked hair barely veiling her intense eyes. She had pulled her legs to herself and rested her chin on her knees. He got closer on all fours, then knelt near her, unclipped the sword, removed the jacket around his waist, and put the latter as a blanket on her shoulders. He sat by her, opening an inviting arm so she'd warm up against him. She leaned to take the offered comfort, appreciating his higher temperature and the contact she had accepted from this strange version of herself. And yet, everything in her body stayed closed, her hands gripping on her returned jacket.

"Trunks," he pushed her wet hair away from her face. "I'm here."

"It should have been Gohan-san, not me. Not us…"

"I know."

"He was always so kind and forgiving and yet-"

"What is done is done, we both changed the past so it wouldn't happen to them. Trunks, we can't have regrets anymore, Gohan-san chose this. We move forward. One step at the time."

"I can't.. I can't do this anymore, Trunks, I want to go home, destroy everything, and sleep in Mother's arms..."

"You will be able to, it was just a little too much, too quickly. You are overwhelmed, aren't you?" She confirmed with a hum and snuggled closer, appreciating being grounded by her more mature self. "You've.. had a stressful journey."

Tora had a dry laugh. 'Stressful' was an understatement, they both knew it.

"I know you feel guilty and stuck, and you're trying to deal with it all, that's why you're lashing out." Trunks added and comforted. "Gohan-san, the two of them, they don't know all of you-" He could feel her tense, but a gentle rub on her shoulder to reassure her was enough. Tora trusted him. "They don't need to see you to understand... And care. They care for you even if they don't know."

"I was awful to Gohan-san," she regretted with a whisper.

"Pfft I bet it reminded him fondly of my childhood," Trunks knew Tora had a similar stubborn hot-blooded side, and neither version of Gohan resented them for it. "I kind of want to give him a beating too, if I am being honest with myself," Trunks admitted, but feeling the sudden panic that Tora had, he held her closer, with a firmer grip. And as they deeply understood how the other thought, he shut down her doubts before she even worded them. "You didn't steal him from me. You needed that fight far more than I did, and I have been able to make peace with it all."

"But-"

"No buts. Trunks, they don't know it all, but I do. I see you. And I will not let you torment yourself any longer."