Kera:

Kera's gaze wandered restlessly back and forth between Trunks from the future, who lay unconscious on the couch in the pavilion, and Vegeta. Vegeta looked just as tense as she did. It never meant anything good when Trunks from the future came to them. First Frieza, who had come back to Earth after the battle on Namek, then the androids and Cell. No, his appearance meant trouble. A lot of trouble.

Piccolo and Kera had flown to Vegeta that morning. She had arranged to meet him and Kakarrot there for a training session and Piccolo had accompanied her. He liked to spend the time with Bulma in the lab. Their relationship with each other was now at a friendly level, which still surprised Kera sometimes.

Beerus and Whis, who had supervised their training in the morning, were now also standing near the pavilion. Both were obviously curious as to who had so suddenly appeared with a strange flying machine. And young Trunks could hardly hide his curiosity as well.

'Will you let me in on your thoughts?' Piccolo's voice in her head was like a warm breeze in summer and almost reflexively she reached for his hand. His fingers intertwined with hers and he took another step closer. His arm touched hers.

'We're in for trouble.'

'That's what I thought. So back to training?'

Kera looked down at the ground in dismay. After the tournament against the Sixth Universe, she had promised to spend more time with her family. Now that time seemed to be threatened again.

'Hopefully Kakarrot will be along with the Senzu Bean in a moment,' she evaded his question. Her gaze wandered upwards, even though she knew Kakarrot would teleport here from Master Korin's tower. As she did so, something else caught her eye.

"Crap. It's already noon. We promised Reyak we'd watch Gine so he could meet up with Trunks," she whispered to Piccolo.

"Reyak is on his way here." Piccolo tilted his head slightly to the left and that was when Kera also noticed that Reyak was on his way to them. "Menka too," Piccolo added with slight surprise in his voice.

"Wasn't she with Dende?"

Piccolo nodded.

A hiss indicated that Kakarrot was back and at the next blink of an eye, Kakarrot was standing in the pavilion.

"Vegeta!"

Vegeta turned to him with his hand already open and caught the Senzu Bean that Kakarrot tossed to him. Immediately Vegeta bent down and shoved the bean into Trunks' mouth.

With bated breath they all watched the older Trunks, who opened his eyes after a few seconds. Bulma gave a sigh of relief.

"Trunks! How are you?" She leaned down to him, but he fought her off.

Startled, he straightened up and eyed those present. His gaze lingered on Kakarrot. His eyebrows furrowed in anger, he let out a grim cry and sped towards Kakarrot.

Completely perplexed, he reacted by jerking his hand up and catching Trunks' fist. Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

"Trunks, what's wrong with you?" Kakarrot looked at him more in wonder than annoyance.

From Trunks' face, anger gave way to realisation and he quickly took a step backwards. "Goku?"

"What's wrong?" Bulma took a step towards her son from the future.

"Mom! You're alive!" Tears came to the young man's eyes.

"Trunks! Talk already!" Vegeta tried to drown out the relief that his son was alright with his typical gruff manner.

"Papa!" A ton of weight seemed to fall off Trunks' shoulders and he slumped back onto the couch. "I'm sorry, Goku."

"Who did this to you? Was it the demon Buu?" Kera had released her hand from Piccolo's and stood between Vegeta and Kakarrot.

"Aunt Kera!" A smile flitted across Trunks' face. Then he shook his head. "No. With the help of the Supreme Kais, we were able to defeat Babidi and Dabura and prevent the demon from awakening."

Vegeta grinned and murmured, "Very much my son." Kera smiled as well.

"Wait a minute. So you're saying that this guy," Beerus pointed at Trunks from the future, "is this kid from the future."

Beerus had stepped forward with Trunks and looked at them all sharply.

"Yes, my future self built a time machine," Bulma announced proudly.

"Time travel is forbidden. It is under the most severe penalty to manipulate time," Whis informed them.

"I could wipe you out right here and now," Beerus enthused.

Startled, Bulma gasped. "That ... that wasn't me at all. That was future me."

Vegeta, who seemed uninterested in this discussion, turned to his son from the future. "So who was this guy you ran from?"

"He says that for justice he must kill all the inhabitants of Earth. He has already wiped out several planets and their inhabitants." Trunks from the future seemed to be slumping more and more. "We fought him for a year. Even Mama ..." With a gulp, he broke off.

"Hey, concentrate! Who is this guy?" Vegeta's tension was almost palpable.

"Hello mama!" Reyak landed behind Piccolo and ran towards his mother. "Who ...?"

"Hi Dad!"

Reyak and Kera whirled around and saw Menka approaching. Gine had her arms wrapped around her half-sister's neck.

Reyak faced the younger Trunks, gave him a high five and looked around the circle expectantly. He waited for someone to explain to him what had happened. Menka also stepped forward and handed Gine to her mother. Even the youngest member of the assembly seemed to be waiting for someone to explain everything.

The older Trunks looked at the three newcomers in surprise. "Who ...?"

Vegeta groaned in annoyance. "This is Reyak and Menka, my niece and nephew. Kera and Piccolo's children. And this is Gine."

"You have children? That's wonderful!" The elder Trunks jumped up joyfully. For a moment, the sorrow that seemed to surround him like a bubble was gone.

Kera smiled at him and was about to launch into an explanation of whose parents Gine was, but Vegeta wouldn't let her.

"Go on!"

Trunks took a deep breath. "It was ... Goku."

"Excuse me?!" A shout went through those present.

"Or rather, a doppelganger. He looks exactly like Goku. That's why mother named him Goku Black."

"Goku Black ... future me isn't particularly imaginative, is he?"

A forced laugh could be heard from one or the other, but it quickly fell silent.

"All right, then. Then we'll come back in time with you and finish this guy off." Kakarrot slammed his right fist into his open left hand and resolutely took a step forward.

Grief and despair took possession of the older Trunks again and he slumped back on the couch. "I can't go back now. There was only enough fuel for one direction. Mama and Mai said I was the hope for the future and I had to survive ..."

"You escaped? You left your mother behind?" Enraged, Vegeta now took a step towards his son from the future as well. "How could you? A warrior leaves no one behind!"

"Vegeta!" Kera had quickly given Gine into Piccolo's arms and had stepped between Vegeta and Trunks. "That's enough. He did the best he could. He was unconscious when he got here." She turned to her nephew from the future. "Who's Mai?" she whispered, and had to smile when she saw him blush.

Vegeta took one deep breath and relaxed his hands. "You're telling us there's someone running around in the future with the same pecking face as our birdbrain there?"

Kera had to stifle a grin while Kakarrot called out, "Hey!"

"So, we're travelling into the future. What kind of fuel does the time capsule need?", Vegeta resumed the conversation.

"Blue electrofluid number fifteen."

"What, I'm researching that right now. It'll take me some time, but I can make it. I think I could have enough of the fuel in twenty-four hours."

"A day? That's insanely fast." Enthusiastically, Trunks jumped up from the future.

"Well, it's decided then. We're going to the future. Right, Vegeta?" Kakarrot looked questioningly at the other Saiyan.

"Bulma, I think it's imperative that I ..."

Bulma sighed, then smiled. "I've given up trying to stop you two. Just promise me you'll come back, understand?"

Kakarrot and Vegeta nodded eagerly.

"Kera, you're coming too, right?"

"I ... uh ..." She looked to Piccolo, who opened his mouth, but Trunks called out between them.

"Goku Black is strong. I went to my limit and didn't even get close to him."

"Then how about a training match? We still have some time before the fuel is ready, don't we?" Kakarrot was like a little boy excited about a new toy.

"Do what you can't help doing. I'll take care of the fuel and see if I can find anything else useful in the time capsule." Bulma left the pavilion and headed towards the house.

Trunks strapped on his sword.

"You won't need that here," Vegeta remarked.

"I know. But it makes me feel better."

Kakarrot was the first to leave the pavilion, all the others followed him to the large meadow. There he took up a position opposite Trunks.

"Let's see what you've got, then."

With a yelp, Trunks transformed into a Super Saiyan.

"Uh, right the double." Kera had stood close beside Vegeta to watch the practice fight between her nephew from the future and her half-brother.

"He might be faster." Vegeta followed the movements of the two fighters closely.

"You can still tutor him."

The fight ended after only a few minutes. Kakarrot had rammed his foot into Trunks' neck from behind. The boy had changed back and lay dazed on the ground for a moment.

Kera ran to him to help him up. She saw from the twinkling of her eyes that Vegeta was giving Kakarrot a gentle shove.

"You turned into the Blue for a moment, Kakarrot!", Vegeta snapped at him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The big Trunks rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up. Kakarrot and Vegeta approached, Piccolo following with Whis and Beerus who had also been watching the fight.

"In your world, why doesn't the God of Destruction do something about this Goku Black?" asked Beerus.

"What is a God of Destruction?"

The others exchanged silent glances.

"What happened to the Supreme Kais?" asked Whis.

"They died fighting Dabura," Trunks answered quietly.

Whis nodded knowingly. "That means there is no God of Destruction in the world of the great Trunks."

"What, why not?" Kera couldn't believe her ears.

"Supreme Kai and God of Destruction are connected. When the Supreme Kai dies, the God of Destruction dies too."

Everyone's jaw dropped.