Trunks wasn't sure how to feel about everything that happened. He had come to understand that Tora was 'himself but from the future', who had come to help his papa not die when he was a baby. That was clear, and there was photographic evidence of the whole ordeal, too.
He just felt bereft at times, and seeing his father carry him to the helico-plane and sit with him against the walls while everyone settled was.. strange. And even stranger to see Tora act like a needy baby, gripping firmly. On his father. Who was also his father. Would he really look the same with long hair covering his face like that? Trunks had observed Tora tied it either low, when he wished to be softer and kinder, with those shorter front parts framing his face and reaching just under his jaw, or high, tying everything up in either a sort of loop or a plain ponytail showing the shaved back, when he sparred and showed a more aggressive side. But there? Right there? His hair was free. The elastic had not survived the strength of super Saiyan. And with free hair like that, Trunks saw just how similar Tora was to his mother.
Vegeta wasn't fazed, his naturally hostile expression hadn't changed, but he was sitting there with that other 'Trunks' across his lap, and looked bored to death about the whole thing.
Auntie Tights, after being given Tora's sword back by Gohan, sat near his dad and his older-self. Trunks heard her say something about Saiyan grips not being easy to fight off, teasing the situation. Vegeta scoffed and rolled his eyes. Trunks saw Tights reach to touch Tora and give comfort. It was strange, he never got comfort like that from his parents. Would he become such a weakling as an adult? Trunks couldn't put into words what he felt when he saw that, but it hurt him in a strange way that no chocolate could make it better. And chocolate always made everything better. So he tried pushing those feelings away and ignored it.
Tapion carried Minoshia, who had also fallen asleep due to exhaustion, and Trunks sat with the two aliens. And so did Goten. They had teamed up, watched over each other, as they usually did when they ganged on Gohan. Piccolo had protected them when the monster went after them, too. So they were both fine, but Minoshia had pushed herself with her magic. Tapion was happy to welcome the two boys nearby and thanked them for protecting his sister. Now everything would be alright for them, after all, and Trunks was genuinely happy.
With his mother piloting, Trunks expected it to be bumpy and wake everyone, but she thankfully used the autopilot. Gohan sat with her and discussed what happened when she asked, filling in the details that the spy drone had missed due to the mist and angles.
Everyone was alright, and now they could work towards returning Tapion and Minoshia to their home world, Bulma had announced, and while Trunks wasn't too keen on letting them go, he knew it was for the best, that he couldn't be selfish.
Trunks promised he'd visit, one day, and Goten followed along with the promise, which made Tapion smile, genuinely moved by their enthusiasm. Of course he'd love to see them visit, they'd see how beautiful his world was! And they would get thanked by everyone for having helped destroy Hirudegarn for good. Trunks' imagination went wild with medals, flowers, and a pretty girl kissing his cheek. He and Goten more or less dozed off against each other for the rest of the ride.
Once back at Capsule Corp, Vegeta accepted his fate as 'the one chosen by his Saiyan child for reassurance' and decided to wait it out in the unlit living room, an arm around his heir's shoulders, the other on the TV remote to cycle through some programs. His 'mate from another universe' brought him snacks and drinks, and Vegeta dismissed her when she tried staying; she wasn't needed.
'Tights' huffed, sternly scolded Vegeta about this being her child, but kept her voice low. When she got closer and saw the deep scratches and tension 'Tora' displayed, she finally got it. She leaned in regardless and kissed the child's forehead. Despite the sudden proximity, his heir accepted the intrusion and even reacted positively to it, which somewhat surprised Vegeta. But it should not have. This was the brat's mother, who trusted him with their child, leaving them alone.
His 'actual' mate was busy cleaning the boys, after having patched up Kakarot's brat and the two Konats. Vegeta didn't care to know about the extent of the damage, but apart from himself, the Namekian and Kakarot's brat, they were all bruised, at worst. Once Kakarot's second spawn was clean and in the boy's bedroom for the two of them to sleep together ('sleepover', his mate had called it), the rest got settled into the guest aisle for the night. Kakarot's mate was seemingly informed all was well at some point, Vegeta didn't doubt the feisty stubborn wench would've already been there if she had been left in the dark.
'Tora' was having nightmares, the grip and soft ki pulses giving it away, making Vegeta reminisce of a similar situation, from some eight years ago from his point of view. At least this time, the lights were dim, and Vegeta could observe and touch, but he had to be careful as he was, well, 'in the open'.
He tried moving Tora's hair out of the way, but that damn earthling texture made it difficult, the stupid hair kept sliding and refusing to cooperate. On the arms, neck and face, he recognized some of the marks he had seen previously, albeit time had passed and the skin had begun regenerating enough to hide the most superficial and the most recent ones. There were no new marks, as further proof of how easily his heir had made good on the promise of destroying the Cyborgs and Cell easily. And how little the brat had fought since.
Attentive, Vegeta traced some lines on the arm and neck. Under such a light, he saw the stripes much more clearly than he did in the bright white void. His heir shifted and gripped more, but did not refuse nor squirm away from the touch.
.
Once she was done with everything, cleaning the dirty, patching the wounds and feeding the hungry, Bulma came back to check on them both, a solid three hours after their return. She sat on the couch near Vegeta, but not close enough to be in his (or Tora's) personal space.
Vegeta had ended up turning off the TV and waited on the couch, since there was no use fighting a Saiyan grip. He had grumbled about being hungry after finishing all of the snacks brought earlier, and promised he'd behead someone if there was no food left once Tora had released him.
"Nightmares?" Bulma asked, seeing how tense Tora was, worried about how nothing had changed since the drive back.
"Ngn." Vegeta vaguely affirmed.
"You're wounded."
"Hmf," he shrugged, uncaring. "The fight was not that challenging."
He had a couple of broken ribs and torn muscles, like Kakarot's brat, and was starting to get sore, but it was nothing compared to what he put himself through on a regular basis. Once free, he'd clean up and in the morning, his body would have taken care of most of it.
"I mean he's scratching at you, pretty deeply," she pointed at the wounds on his arms, neck and shoulders.
"That's nothing."
"You're bleeding."
Vegeta glanced towards his mate, exasperated, then sighed. He had to 'explain' and 'use his words', so he closed his eyes, thought about phrasing it properly, then reopened them to look at his heir resting and fighting an inner battle against him.
"All Saiyan children do this when they feel vulnerable. The smell of their kin's blood calms them down. This brat is still a child," he added, despising that last observation. Tora had grown about a hand taller than him and was heavier, and yet...
"Trunks just turned nineteen though, and he already finished his first heat, didn't he? Doesn't that mean he is an adult, by Saiyan standards?"
Vegeta glanced back a moment, and Bulma raised an eyebrow, pressing for an answer. She knew. He looked back at Tora. 'Right, you left her your notes. Good.'
"You're talking about the body, not the mind. You earthlings aren't 'adults' just after you finish 'puberty', right?"
"Fair. But Trunks— our Trunks hasn't done this despite being an actual child."
"That one doesn't have wounds clouding his mind. This one is still fighting demons."
"Right.. He was raised in such harsh conditions with little support. A childhood of trauma surrounded by death and violence, mh?" Bulma gave a knowing look to Vegeta, insisting and letting him know she was talking about him as much as about Tora.
"Quiet, woman." Vegeta scoffed at what she was implying and closed off the subject with a grunt.
Bulma saw the truth in her words on his face, and noticed a subtle change in his expression; pain. Tora had gripped more firmly and had dug nails deep into the scratch wounds.
"My poor baby. He's suffering..."
As she stated what she noticed, Bulma scooted closer, extending a hand to touch, wishing to reassure. Vegeta felt the tension change in Tora, and the grip partially released him.
"Idiot!" He promptly pushed Bulma away and off the couch and firmly held onto Tora's shoulders just before—
.
Bulma didn't have the time to register the offense Vegeta had done by pushing her away like some sort of unwelcome plague before Tora's teal eyes shot open and her hands went from her father to attack whatever perceived intrusion her instincts gave her.
An arm around her shoulders kept her from following her target, and soon she had a hand on her throat, firmly threatening but not causing pain. Yet. Tora's aggression was redirected from the perceived threat to the real one and she promptly put her hands on the arms holding her to try and free herself, teeth out.
That's when she recognized Vegeta, and more or less realized where she was.
She slowly blinked, the green returning to its normal blue, now solely focused on her father holding her on his lap, firmly against him by the shoulders and almost choking her with one hand. The thirst for blood slowly made way for her to fully take into account her whole surroundings.
"You do not," he hissed once he had her full attention.
She stared through Vegeta, her pupils returning little by little now the teal had fully given way to the blue iris. Instead of gripping and scratching at his forearms, she just held onto the one holding her neck and pushed on it, but barely. She wasn't trying to get free anymore, just requesting it.
"Calm?" He asked, stern.
Tora nodded again, and Vegeta released her throat and her shoulders, then pushed on her back to get her off of him. She promptly stood away and the memories fully came back to her senses and the events that led her to this situation. She recognized Bulma as having been the target of the violent response, as she was standing from having been violently shoved off of the couch by Vegeta for her own safety.
"... I'm sorry, Bulma-san," Tora apologized in a whisper, looking down in shame as she realized what she did. She then noticed and focused on the blood on her fingers and barely heard how Bulma accepted the apology.
"My bad, shouldn't have approached a sleeping Saiyan," she chuckled, trying to ease off her own nervousness and fears. "You owe me, though."
Bulma was feeling brave though, walked straight to her 'big son' and hugged Tora close, despite the stiffness and the display of violence Vegeta had just protected her from. Tora was clearly dumbfounded by Bulma's reaction and just stiffened in the embrace and the pecks on the cheeks. Bulma was fearless, she had tamed the greatest monster of them all, so a startled little tiger? No problem.
"I'm glad you're ok. But we need to get you out of that armor and give you a serious bath. You stink!"
Vegeta had to laugh about it all, Tora was back to 'normal', so he felt confident about the end of the crisis, and left to finally get himself some well deserved food from the kitchen. By that time, Tights had shown up, hearing the ruckus, and she saw Tora looking trapped and begging for salvation.
"You're awake," Tights noticed and opened her arms, inviting.
Bulma felt Tora try and move, so she released, and Tora went straight to her older self.
"Mother," she whined when she reached and held her mother close.
Her hands searched for skin and hair to touch, her nose sought her scent and her face buried itself in the texture of her sweatshirt. She completely forgot about being dirty, about her nails being bloody, and just indulged in the comforting hold.
The older woman hugged back without reserve, rubbing the back of her daughter's head and her lower back gently, reaching under the tee and between the binder and the pants, reassuring and loving, whispering everyone was alright and already asleep before Tora could even inquire.
"... Bulma's right though, you stink," Tights let out when she managed to catch her breath from the strong and desperate hold, and take her away for a proper shower.
Tora more or less decided, subconsciously perhaps, to avoid Vegeta and Bulma.
Bulma's pride was left somewhat ruffled by Tora's rejection, once again. The kid had accepted Vegeta, damn it, and Vegeta had accepted Tora. Was she jealous?
Tora returned to school afterwards; she'd missed over two weeks at this point, and as little interested as she was about the whole ordeal, her mother insisted it was a necessity to get her to connect to normal people and socialize properly. Even if she missed the morning classes.
"A stupid waste of time," Vegeta told Tights after Tora took off in her car. He returned to the Gravity Room without elaborating.
It was surprising to Tights that Vegeta even went to see Tora off for school, but she mulled over his words. School, a waste of time?
The excuse given for the unexpected absence was 'family obligations', and Syowa made sure to let the school know Tights and Tora had been 'scolded' for not putting education first. Syowa accurately guessed there was more to it than a teenager skipping classes and despite her average scores outside of math (where she excelled, even more than Gohan), Tora more or less hopped back on the somewhat annoying, but grounding routine.
Tora was only really somewhat sorry about not attending the music club during free periods; she had no real responsibilities, but she had been useful for practice and appreciated being useful, even if she didn't want to stay on school grounds after class, as she wanted to spend more time with Tapion and Minoshia.
.
"So, uh, you okay?"
Another chemistry experiment, this time with Erasa. Gohan had been paired off with Inx, and Videl worked with Sharpner. This time it was about mixing certain elements in particular to cause a chemical reaction that would create molecules the students could recognize through smell.
"Why do you ask?" Tora asked.
"You look so.. worried. You've got friends you can talk to, you know?" Erasa insisted, focused on measuring the quantities of matter to put into the tube, missing the cool glance.
"I don't need to talk," Tora was cutthroat, perhaps a little more than before.
"Geez don't bite me, I'm sorry, Mr Sensitive." Erasa huffed, hurt by the sudden rejection.
".. My apologies, but it is just not who I am." Tora tried softening a little. "Erasa-san. I am grateful for your concern. I am fine. I am just… not used to being friendly with people. At all."
"It's ok, but if you're really sorry, you'll take me out on a date."
".. If you really want to, but what I said in the car remains true," Tora agreed, and only because she knew it was part of what her mother wanted for her.
"Deal."
"A date?!" Angela had overheard and called from just behind them. This forced the teacher to call them out for slacking off and not actually doing the work, which shut the conversation very quickly.
Tora was quick to skip the last few classes after that. She would later promise Erasa she'd make good on the deal at some point, but not in the upcoming days as she still had a lot to deal with.
.
Trunks' absence from school was not uncommon, Bulma also stated there was a family situation, and despite the school's annoyance, Trunks made sure to put on his 'good student' role too and it blew over more or less easily after his leave.
Goten, like Gohan, didn't miss a single day of school, even if he only had half days like most kids in such rural areas. Chichi tutored him in the afternoons, happy to see that despite his first two 'battles', Gohan had kept his word and they had come back unharmed, if only a little dirty and tired.
Goten slept most of the day after their encounter with Hirudegarn, and thankfully that was a Sunday. Gohan, on the other hand, took it easy for a few days; he was sore from some of Hirudegarn's hits, but hid it well from his mother.
It took Dende a couple of days to get back to everyone and tell them Hirudegarn made it through the godly hierarchy for disposal, and that Tapion and Minoshia should hold off on leaving as they may have another way for them to go back home.
Vegeta also pointed out in passing the Galactic standard Tapion could speak was actually not the same he spoke. When Bulma heard that and pressed for more details, the Saiyan said the other used 'archaic words', and after a little more research, they realized Tapion and Minoshia may have been locked away for a while. And while they could see the planet still existed… Its current status was uncertain. The language difference could have been caused by many, many factors, including how long their respective civilizations had existed, but the distance was also a factor. And neither Tapion nor Minoshia could give precise coordinates of key astral objects to judge how long had passed as stars, galaxies and black holes moved relative to one another.
Dr Brief, Bulma and Tights were still trying to figure out fuel for such a long trip and be able to come back if needed; the southern quadrant was leagues further away than New Namek, which was already further away from Namek, but still within their quadrant.. And there was the issue of crossing between quadrants and clusters of galaxies. Not an impossible task (with three Brief brains, duh), but still a challenge that would take more than a few hours.
Tapion and Minoshia were given beanies to hide their ears and visible alien traits and Panchy took them shopping and exploring a little more of West City. The zoos were what Minoshia liked the most. They could do nothing to help the Briefs figure out a spaceship for such travel, nor pester the gods. And Bulma figured that push come to shove, she would ask Shenron, but only after Dende had come back with a definite answer from the kami and kai hierarchies.
When Tora came back after school, she went out with them too, happy to see Minoshia be a child and recover from the stressful events of the last couple of weeks. She seemed to enjoy playing with Trunks in the park, while Tapion and Tora watched over them with keen eyes.
"That 'other' me didn't teach you how to use the Brave Sword, didn't he?" Tapion eventually asked that Tuesday evening as the kids were challenging themselves at monkey bars.
"No, he.. didn't have time. He had not really intended for me to keep it, in a way."
Tapion nodded. He had heard the details about how the sword was passed on.
"I will show you." Tapion decided. Tora couldn't refuse the exercise, even if something else was on the back of her mind now that the threat had been dealt with.
.
That night, after Minoshia and Trunks were asleep in Trunks' room, Tapion and Tora faced each other with their respective and identical weapons.
Like her version of him, and like Minoshia, Tapion bore his sword on his left side, while Tora wore the sheath on her back. It didn't take long for the swordsman to see why Tora had chosen to change the sword belt into a baldric: the sword was simply too long for Tora, since she was that much shorter than him, and carrying it on her back made more sense for the sheath not to be a hindrance.
Minoshia had already taught Tora some things, but practicing with someone with an adult stature was much more fruitful. Especially when she used the Multiform technique so her power and speed were low enough to have to strategize and properly use the techniques instead of straight overwhelming and overpowering Tapion. The clone was used to observe as well and give Tora insight on her losses, but her eye was just not well trained enough to understand the fine details of it all. She didn't have data to study, like she had for martial arts techniques through Sixteen's hard drive.
A couple of nightly spars after, Tapion confirmed his hunch; his sword was just the wrong size for her to use effectively, but she was otherwise decent at using the weapon, using it to guard and not hesitating to switch from one hand to two hands whenever necessary, and even using the weapon as diversion to follow up with a punch or kick when an opportunity was to be seized. Having the sheath on her hip would have been a problem to her fighting style. Her katas had paid off, in a way, and she instinctively knew her own body was as deadly as the weapon itself, if not more so. That last element was a surprise for Tapion, because Tora did not hesitate to catch his hits with her bare hand instead of using the sword's guard or dodging.
Tapion also focused on keeping his sister's skills sharp; while Hirudegarn was no threat anymore, who knows what was waiting for them at home.
A few more days later, in the morning, Dende informed Tapion and Minoshia that one of the Kais was feeling generous due to everyone on Earth having captured the monster that plagued the southern quadrant for so long, and Kaio-sama, the North Kai, called in a favor once he found out about what happened. As far as Dende knew, it was related to a tournament that happened in Otherworld, but he wasn't given any details, and he was too afraid to ask (after all, these were his superiors!).
Dende told Tapion everyone was welcome on the Lookout, but it would be perhaps more proper to keep the escort limited in numbers; Kais were notoriously moody and having a bunch of mortals around could be a problem. They would be there sometime after dusk.
.
So it was goodbye that same evening.
.
Tapion was introduced to the phone, and he took it as an opportunity to call and convey his gratitude to all of those he could, and let Minoshia convey hers as well. It was a better solution than going around the world and meeting everyone.
Gohan's mother was first, with a last playdate organized between Goten, Trunks and Minoshia for that afternoon. They'd say their farewells to Gohan there once he came back from school.
Then Krillin and his wife, at Kame-House.
Then he inquired about the 'men with a number instead of names', but Bulma did not have Sixteen's nor Seventeen's numbers. Tora gave Seventeen's, and gave no explanation as to why she had it. Seventeen was a dry kind of person, but otherwise wished him and the little girl a safe trip home, saying his (and Sixteen's) help was a debt repaid to Tora and, well, save-the-world-from-huge-monster was motivation enough to get involved. Minoshia exchanged a few words about animals with Sixteen.
Minoshia inquired about the man with three eyes, but Tenshinhan remained firmly unreachable. Bulma explained he was the taciturn kind that only got involved when a threat happened, and retreated back to his own devices when the threat was dealt with. She would 'make sure to pass the message the next time the planet was in danger', of course.
Piccolo had no phone, but Tapion and Minoshia would see him on the Lookout.
Prior to Minoshia leaving for the Son estate, the two of them tried meeting with Vegeta. He wasn't exactly welcoming when Bulma turned on the screens of the Gravity Room, where he was exercising, and when she demanded his attention to look at the camera (and the screen), and saw the two Konats, he scoffed.
"What now?"
"We wanted to convey our gratitu—" Minoshia started.
"I don't give a shit."
"Vegeta!" Bulma scolded. "You don't need to be so hostile."
"Tsk. They're unworthy opponents and they're distracting."
"Ugh," she threw her arms in the air, there was no use arguing, but at least he helped.
"You're a fine warrior, Vegeta. Thank you for lending us your strength." Tapion rephrased his gratitude.
"Tch."
"We are leaving tonight."
"Good. Computer, cut communications."
Vegeta more or less hung up on them, and returned to his routine.
Bulma apologized on his behalf, but Tapion refused the apology; he wasn't offended and somewhat appreciated the straight to the point attitude Vegeta had.
Tights, Panchy and Dr Brief were thanked and their goodbyes given when they departed for the playdate. Tights said she'd inform Tora, who, like Gohan, was in school, and that Tora would meet them either at the Sons' or on the Lookout directly.
.
Tora ran out of school without a word of explanation to anyone the moment her mother sent her a message informing her that Tapion and Minoshia would be gone that same evening; she went to Capsule Corp, but they had already left for Mount Paozu a couple of hours prior. She grabbed her sword and disappeared as fast as she came in. She needed to give it back.
.
When she arrived and the children were playing and quizzing each other from Goten's homework that day, she approached Tapion who was watching over them, relieved she hadn't missed them. She took off the sword from her back and extended it to Tapion.
"He gave it to me in hopes of me succeeding in my task. I did succeed with it, I wish to give it back, now that I have the opportunity to do so."
"No, now it has become yours."
"Tapion, it belongs to you and I am giving it back." Tora was trying to be firm.
"It isn't mine. Mine is right here," he denied, patting his handle on his hip. "That sword has your essence and your willpower in it, the grip has felt more of your hands than his."
Tora had to accept that Tapion wouldn't take it back. Or take it at all, since it was not the same Tapion, and it was not his sword. The man was as stubborn as she remembered him. So when Tapion ended up taking it, Tora was relieved for an instant.
"I will make it so it fits you," Tapion had decided. There was something uniquely peaceful about observing the children play in the spring grass and list out a ton of different flowers and insects.
"What do you mean?" The statement surprised Tora.
"This sword isn't suited for your height."
Tapion held the sheathed weapon horizontally in his hands and whispered, enveloping it with magic under Tora's wide-eyed gaze. The glow and ki-change attracted Trunks' and Goten's attention, which in turn attracted Minoshia's. The children ran over to see what was happening, but Minoshia stopped them on their tracks and said to wait and see. Minoshia knew, though. This was how her sword came to be, albeit done by someone else.
"My brother is reforging Tora's sword," she explained.
Goten, respectful as always, agreed to keep the distance and observe from afar, and Trunks, who wanted to go and ask and see up close, ended up staying with his two friends.
The sword and its sheath's length had been shrunk by about ten percent, but not the hilt. The sheath, which had suffered heavy use, was now like new, with a thicker chape and locket. The fabric covering the handle was also changed to one more appropriate for Tora's hand and skin texture; from its former blue it became black.
Once done, Tapion extended the weapon back to Tora.
Tora hesitated, she didn't really dare, but eventually she put her hands on it, and Tapion released it, forcing her to take it from him; it was just as light as before. She looked right back at him and his soft and accepting smile.
'That will do,' he thought silently as Tora held the sword close to her, like Minoshia held hers when the replica was made.
Unlike Minoshia, who had received her sword for a specific purpose, Tora had inherited it through blood and death. And Tapion knew that, because he gave it to her, and because Tights had given him the full story; Tora was Trunks' age when it all went down, moreover, unlike in this world, she only had Gohan to fight by her side, and he was much weaker than this world's version of him was. That he had gathered from Tights.
He could sympathize with Tora's current turmoil; the sword she carried for so long represented a man she was forced to kill to save her world. A man she deeply cared for, as far as he could tell from her glances ever since he was freed from his own prison. There had been a hint of guilt lingering, but not anymore.
Tora held the item close, head down. She turned away, unwilling to show just how low her barriers were. A hand on her shoulder got her to turn back to him, and he embraced her when leaned in.
"Your resolute decisions saved two universes from the phantasm. And from a few other threats from what I've heard."
"I guess you're right," she chuckled low, took a deep breath in, and swallowed the tears she held back.
"She isn't the Brave Sword anymore," Tapion gave a gentle pat on her back, then with both hands on her shoulders, he requested. "Get to know her and spar with me."
The spar had proven Tapion right; after adjusting to the new length with a short set of exercises, Tora was much more efficient in her attacks and defense. It also suited her up-close-and-personal preference much more, gave her a far greater control over her balance and ability to use her other hand when needed, and Tapion had to call it off before getting wounded. The children cheered their spar.
.
When Gohan came home, he was properly thanked by the two Konats, and he was fully informed of their departure that very evening, which explained their presence.
She hadn't let go of her weapon, she held it against her as if her life depended on it, and Gohan stayed near her, putting an arm around her shoulders when she leaned in for comfort and familiarity. She told him in whispers what had happened, and Gohan understood how much the weapon had meant for her. And how now it was something else, and still carried the legacy Tapion had left. His friend was at peace, in a way, thanks to the change and acceptance this Tapion had given her, and it moved Gohan deeply, considering how much he wished for Tora's happiness.
Minoshia enjoyed a quick snack with the boys before it was time to go and answered some of their questions about swords and so-on, and that when they visited, they might be able to get their own on their planet. She also informed them that while Tapion's sword was named the Brave Sword, hers was named the Devout Sword, but she actually called it Devotion.
After well wishes, close hugs and a promise to see each other soon, and a little extra bento for the trip that Chichi forced the Konats to take with them, Gohan and Tora went with them to the Lookout. Tora had finally put back her sword on her back by that time.
Proper thanks were given to Dende and Piccolo while waiting for the Kai to come, and a little after dusk, a tall square-looking man with white frames and dark lenses appeared. His outfit reminded Tora of Kaio-sama, whom she knew was the North Kai, but the symbol on his chest was different. Tora, Piccolo and Gohan stayed away as they weren't to be addressed, while Dende introduced himself and the Konats. The Kai adjusted his glasses, nodded, lifted his head a little to check on Piccolo and Mr Popo in the gardens, then on Tora and Gohan who were observing from a polite distance. He spoke to Dende and the siblings, then turned his back to the Konats. Tapion and Minoshia looked at each other, turned to look at the other warriors and waved one last goodbye with a kind smile. Tapion put his hand on his back as the Kai had seemingly requested.
Minoshia turned back to Gohan and Tora and raised her voice to be heard.
"You'll have to find her name!" Minoshia smiled brightly, waving to make sure she had Tora's attention.
Tora nodded to show she had heard and smiled back. A light scolding from the Kai interrupted their moment, and Minoshia quickly put her hand on his back as requested with a lot of apologies, and in an instant, they disappeared.
It truly wasn't Tapion's sword anymore. It was hers, and she was certain it had been the right decision. Her hand squeezing Gohan's gave her reassurance and the ability to say farewell.
"A name?" Gohan asked.
"Perseverance."