Saturday Afternoon:
"Hey, are you ready to go for lunch?" Bulma asked, looking at everyone.
"Where are we going today?" Kishu excitedly asked.
"It's a surprise." Bulma said with a smile and a wink.
"When you say it like that, you make me nervous." Trunks said, looking at his mother.
"I take offence to that." Bulma said, faking being upset.
"He's not wrong. What are you planning?" Vegeta asked, looking at his wife.
"You guys are so mean." Bulma said like a child with big, sad eyes, causing both Vegeta and Trunks to sweatdrop.
Knock. Knock.
Knock. Knock.
Just then, there was someone knocking on the door.
"I wonder who that could be." Trunks wondered aloud as Elm and Lily hid behind his legs.
"Who knows…" Bulma said in a suspicious tone as she went to the door; she peeked out the peephole and smiled.
"Come on in. Look who's come to visit." Bulma said with a smile.
In walked Bulla, Goten, and their twins, Vego and Chiulma.
Vego is three with messy, dark, dark, almost black hair, blue eyes. He was wearing black pants with a black and white striped shirt and black shoes. He's for sure a little boy; he likes to rough house, play pranks, is exceptionally mischievous, and doesn't like to listen, and his favorite color is black.
Chiulma is three with neat, long, teal-colored hair tied in low hanging pigtails, black eyes. She was wearing a blue skirt with a purple shirt, white socks and shoes, a big blue bow on the back of her shirt, a gold pendant necklace, and a fake gold crown. She is most definitely the quintessential girly-girl; she is well behaved, hates the mud and being dirty, doesn't like being outside, and loves having tea parties; her favorite colors are light purple, light blue, pink, and red.
"Aunt Bulla, Uncle Goten! Vego, Chiulma!" Kishu and Teddy happily cried, running over to them.
Elm and Lily stayed hidden behind Trunks while Knickers lay in his bed, reading a book.
As much as Knickers loved them, his aunt and cousins weren't his favorite people; Uncle Goten was ok.
Vego breaks everything he touches; he broke three of Knickers's model sets, playing with them—even though he was repeatedly told not to.
Chiulma thinks she's all that and a bag of chips—and that her way is the right way; she's always telling Teddy she needs to start acting more like a girl than a boy.
Bulla's big thing with all that is that they're only two—or they're only three; they don't know any better. Ok, so at two, maybe… But they just turned three a few months ago. And being told several times not to touch something that doesn't belong to them without permission and doing it anyway with a smile on their face? Not so much.
Those two get away with a lot of things. Sure, Bulla will yell at and punish them now and again—but not enough.
Goten tries but is always overruled.
"What brings you all the way here?" Trunks asked, looking at his sister; they live about an hour away from Bulma and Vegeta, which is a little over three hours away from North City. So, Bulla and Goten had to travel roughly four hours from their house.
"Mom called and asked if we'd want to come spend a few days with all of you. Unfortunately, we couldn't get here until now, so we won't have long. But we did make it." Bulla answered with a smile.
"What were you doing that was so important that you couldn't be here yesterday?" Vegeta asked, looking at his daughter.
"House hunting." Bulla said calmly.
"How far are you moving away now?" Bulma asked, upset, but tried not to show it.
"We were actually thinking of moving half an hour closer." Bulla explained, causing Bulma to perk up.
"Really?" Bulma excitedly asked.
"Really." Bulla answered but quickly regretted it as Bulma attacked her with hugs.
"So, when are you moving now that you've been here for a few weeks. And how far?" Bulla asked, looking at Trunks; she was trying to one-up him.
"We're going to finish moving on Monday; we only had a few things left to move to the new house, which is only fifteen/twenty minutes away from Mom and Dad." Trunks answered, knowing exactly what she was doing.
"Did you meet your new child? Did you decide to keep it, or put it up for adoption?" Bulla asked, not knowing he has twins.
"Yes, I met them; I have twins. They're the same age as Vego and Chiulma—a few months younger. And yes, I'm keeping them." Trunks answered, shocking Bulla.
"I love you—and I mean no disrespect, but don't you have enough kids already? How are they all going to get the attention they need?" Bulla asked, looking at Trunks.
"I love you too. And I mean no disrespect, but it's none of your concern; they are my kids, and I'm keeping them—all of them. And they will get all the attention they need or want; I will figure it out. So, please, mind your own business." Trunks answered Bulla's questions.
"Look, Mommy! Kitty people!" Vego excitedly yelled; he had managed to slip past everyone to see who was hiding behind Trunks.
Vego scared Lily—so much that she moved to the side of Trunks's leg and shook like a leaf. Her ears were flat on top of her head while her tail puffed up and wrapped around her waist. Elm, on the other hand, went on the defense, backed away with his ears flat on top of his head and his tail straight out behind him, quickly whipping back and forth.
"Ooohh! Mommy, I want one!" Chiulma cried, running to Elm, who backed away even more and jumped up onto one of the beds.
"Vego, Chiulma, that's enough; come here." Bulla sternly said.
"But Mommy!" Both Vego and Chiulma whined.
"No buts; get over here." Bulla said as firmly as she could.
"No!" They whined again.
"You listen to your mother, right now." Goten strictly said; they immediately ran over to them.
"Uncle Trunks, can I have the one you're holding?" Chiulma politely asked as she stood in front of Trunks.
"I'm sorry, but no, you cannot have her—or her brother; they're not toys—or playthings." Trunks explained.
"Wait. Those two are your kids?" Bulma asked in shock.
"Yeah—these are my youngest two; their mother was a Nekodian. No, she's no longer among the living. Anyway, this is my youngest son, Elm, and my youngest daughter, Lily. Elm, come here." Trunks said, picking Elm up, before setting him down in front of him, along with Lily.
"Don't worry; they're not going to hurt you. Elm, Lily, this is my sister, Bulla, her husband Goten and their twins, Vego and Chiulma; they are your aunt, uncle, and cousins. Vego and Chiulma are a few months older than you; all in all, you four are the same age." Trunks calmly and gently explained.
"It's a plesshure to meet you." Chiulma said, doing a little curtsy in front of Elm and Lily.
"Hey." Vego said in a bored tone.
"Hi." Elm said calmly for him and Lily.
"Is she going to say "hi" back? That's kind of rude." Bulla said, looking at Trunks.
"Elm said "hi" for the both of them. Because I'm sure you'll find out anyway; Lily doesn't talk. They were both severely abused and neglected; they both handled it differently." Trunks seriously said, narrowing his eyes at his sister.
"Sorry." Bulla said right away.
"Knickers…" Trunks started, getting Knickers's attention.
"Yeah?" Knickers asked, looking up.
"Will you be ok watching the kids for a little bit?" Trunks asked, looking at his oldest.
"Sure." Knickers answered.
"Ok, we'll be back after a little while." Trunks said, smiling before he left with his parents, Bulla and Goten.
With The Adults:
"What's going on? Is something wrong?" Bulma asked as they walked into an empty game room.
"Didn't you rent a room?" Vegeta asked, looking at Bulla.
"No; we weren't planning on staying the night. We were only planning on staying for a few hours." Bulla explained.
"Well, that's kind of pointless. You get in a car for four hours to spend a few hours here, just to get back into a car?" Bulma asked, looking at Bulla.
"We didn't drive; Piccolo teleported us. He'll be back around seven to get us again." Bulla replied while Trunks and Goten just stared at each other for a second or so.
"So—Elm and Lily were abused?" Goten asked, changing the subject to avoid any conflict.
"Yes; that's unfortunately correct. Their mother was severely abusive to them in every way possible; she even let others abuse them—including sexual abuse on Lily. Lily didn't know to handle any of that, so she shut down and doesn't talk. Elm talks, but he still has his issues. They both handled things differently. And they both have different disabilities. Elm has OCD, ADHD, is smart for his age, and loves to talk; he is also incredibly protective of Lily. Lily has ADD, mild autism, asthma, anxiety, rheumatoid arthritis, is a little slower, and I was told she doesn't talk; however, I don't think that's true. I think when she gets comfortable enough, she'll talk more; she says singular words every now and then. Oh, and yes, they do both suffer from PTSD." Trunks explained, looking directly at Bulla.
"No offence, but are you going to be able to handle all of that? Do you even know anything about any of that? Don't you think they would be better off with someone better equipped to take care of them and their needs? I've seen kids around where I live with those disabilities, but not the same kid; they were all different kids with one, maybe two disabilities. I mean, I guess Elm would be ok, but Lily? Don't you think she needs more help than you can give?" Bulla asked, looking directly at Trunks.
"I may not know much about any of the things they have, but I can and will learn everything I can. Yes, I know there are people out there who know more and could easily care for them. But I am not giving up my kids, nor am I going to separate them.
They could be deaf, or blind, or blind and death, and I'd still keep and love them. I love them just the way they are." Trunks said dead serious.
"Ok. I'm sorry; I was just asking." Bulla said, putting her hands up defensively.
"Bulla, you shouldn't ask something like that in the first place." Bulma said right away.
"I'm sorry, ok? It's his life; I just wanted to make sure this was what he completely wanted. If he's one hundred percent sure he's happy and wants to keep them, great, fantastic. They look like good kids at least." Bulla shot back, becoming defensive.
"They're great. Elm's very protective—and has Dad's personality. Lily's so sweet, and shy; I don't know who Lily's going to end up like. As far as I know, she won't end up like anyone and will be her own person. Whoever they turn out to be, as long as they don't turn out evil or thieves and such, I'll be happy, and won't care. But what about you Bulla? When did you start disciplining your kids?" Trunks explained and then asked, looking at Bulla.
"I came to the realization that they need some kind of discipline before they turn into spoiled, rotten brats who get away with everything. That's not how we were raised." Bulla explained.
"How's that going for you?" Trunks asked, looking at his sister.
"It's not easy, but it's going. I thank Kami I have Goten to help me; I don't think I'd be able to do it by myself." Bulla said with a smile.
"That's so great." Bulma happily stated.
"Yes, it is. I'm actually quite proud of you." Trunks said, teasing his sister.
"Thanks…" Bulla sarcastically thanked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"So, is there anything else we need to discuss?" Vegeta impatiently asked; he so wanted to get back to the kids. There was something about being a grandpa that made him crazy—especially to Trunks's kids. He loves Vego and Chiulma greatly, but he barely knows them. Sure, he barely knows Elm and Lily, but he knows he'll get to know them more than he'll ever get to know Vego and Chiulma.
"Yes, I have one more question—for Trunks." Bulla started, narrowing her eyes.
"Ok, what is it?" Trunks asked, looking at his sister.
"What are you going to do about their ears and tails?" Bulla asked right away.
"What do you mean?" Trunks asked, looking at Bulla, narrowing his eyes.
"I mean, don't Saiyans—even half Saiyans turn into a great ape when looking at a full moon? I mean, that's why our tails and our children's tails were removed, isn't it?" Bulla asked, looking at Trunks.
"Yeah, but they don't have ape tails; they have cat tails. Now, what about their ears?" Trunks explained and then asked.
"Well, I noticed, they have two sets of ears: cat and Human/Saiyan." Bulla started.
"Yeah, and?" Trunks asked, narrowing his eyes even more.
"Don't you think you should get rid of one set of ears—preferably the cat ears? I mean, then they can kind of look like everyone in the family." Bulla said, shocking everyone in the room.
"I'm not going to change how they look—who they are. They are who they are, and that's how it's going to stay. Why would you even ask me that?" Trunks asked about ready to lose his temper.
"I'm glad you're happy and are keeping your kids—but look at them. They look nothing like any of us with two sets of ears and tails. I get that your kids have three different mothers, Mai, Miki, and Luna, and that they get features from each of them—as well as you. However, Elm and Lily have ears and tails that make them look way too different." Bulla rambled on and on.
"They are my kids; they are perfect just the way they are. I knew they'd have cat ears or a tail because their mother had ears, a tail, whiskers, a cat's nose, and claws. As far as I know, they could have claws as well; Luna's claws extend and retract. I spent the last, over three years trying to get a hold of Luna to know about them. Granted, at the time, I didn't know it was twins; I thought it was just one. This is so much better; they have each other and aren't alone. They both have two sets of ears and tails. I don't give a rat's ass what they look like; I only care that they have my DNA and are mine . And yes, DNA has one hundred percent proven they are my kids, and I am their dad. And yes, the second day there, a nurse did another DNA test right in front of me. And guess what; it came back positive. I will not change them to fit the mold of what you or society thinks. What has happened to you?" Trunks shot back, pissed off.
"Nothing happened to me." Bulla said, defending herself.
"She's been hanging out with a new group of people. They're not horrible—except for their views on people and how they look." Goten sighed, frustrated; he loved his wife, but not how she's been acting.
"You're not doing drugs, are you?" Bulma asked right away, concerned.
"You had better not be." Vegeta sternly warned.
"What?! No! I would never do drugs! I'm just hanging with people who have opened my eyes to how some people look is wrong." Bulla defensively shot back.
"Wow… Just wow… I'm going back to our room. Bulla, I love you, and I always will. But I can't be around you or have you around if you keep thinking how you're thinking and can't accept how my kids look or are." Trunks said, walking away.
"Are you referring to Knickers being gay?" Bulla asked, stopping Trunks in his tracks.
"How do you know that?" Trunks asked, turning back around to look at his sister with narrowed eyes.
"It's plainly obvious; how he acts, talks and all that. So, he hasn't come out yet?" Bulla asked, looking at Trunks.
"No, he's out—to us anyway. I don't think or know if any of his friends know yet, but that's not your business; it's his. So, keep your mouth shut. Again, like all my other kids, I love Knickers just the way he is." Trunks said before turning around again.
"Good. There's nothing wrong with being gay or lesbian." Bulla simply said, striking a nerve with Trunks.
"So, it's ok for someone to be gay or a lesbian—something someone is born with? But it's not ok for someone to look how they look—even though that's how they were born? When you two go back to the room, keep an eye on the kids; I'm going for a walk to cool off. They don't need to see me like this." Trunks asked and then said beyond pissed off.
"Yes, of course." Bulma said in shock; she had never seen Trunks this angry before. Sure, she had seen him mad before, but not like this.
Even Vegeta was shocked; he didn't think his son would snap like that—ever.
Bulla was standing there, shocked; she was standing there, thinking about what she just heard vs. what her new friends' views.
Were they undoubtedly wrong?
Was Trunks, right?
Were what her friends saying false?
Do people honestly grow up with how they were born and be just fine?
Do people who look different genuinely want to look like that?
Do they not want to look like everyone else?
"Am I a horrible person?" Bulla asked, looking at her parents.
"No, of course, not; you're just hanging out with the wrong people. I think if you stop hanging out with those people, and start remembering what we taught you, you'll be fine. I promise, Trunks doesn't hate you. It's just, his children are who are most important to him. Just like Vego and Chiulma are the most important people in your and Goten's lives. Just how your father and I feel about you and your brother. We never cared about who you were, or what you looked like. We only cared that you turned out to be good people. Bulla, we love you, and always will." Bulma seriously explained while Vegeta stood there, nodding his head in agreement.
"I love you too. Thank you for not hating me. I'm sorry for all I said." Bulla said with a small smile.
"We could never hate you. Make sure you tell Trunks you're sorry as well." Bulma said, hugging her daughter.
"I will." Bulla said, hugging her mother.
"I was planning on taking everyone out to lunch…" Bulma sighed.
"Well, that's not happening." Vegeta grumbled.
"That's ok; we'll just go out for dinner instead. We'll ask the kids if they'd want Taco Hut, or Wac-A-Burger, or something along those lines for lunch. We'll just go for dinner around five." Bulma happily stated.
"That's fine—as long as I get some damn food soon." Vegeta grumbled.
"Of course. Oh, Bulla, do you need any help finding a house and moving?" Bulma asked, looking at Bulla.
"Goten, get the twins—and call Piccolo." Bulla ordered, looking at Goten, giving him "the look," while Bulma and Vegeta gave Bulla a look.
"Right…" Goten sighed, heading out of the game room and to Bulma and Vegeta's hotel room, where the kids were while Bulla stood by the door.
"What's going on?" Bulma asked, looking at her daughter.
"Yeah—we found a house—two months ago—" Bulla nervously started.
"Oh, that's great. What's your address?" Bulma asked with a smile.
"Next to Aunt Tights…" Bulla answered, slowly backing away.
"Wha-what? But that's even further away from us." Bulma said, looking at Bulma, hurt written all over her face.
"Well, Aunt Tights said she owned the house next to her—and the previous people moved out; she said we could stay there at half the price. And it's only temporary—like four or five years." Bulla said, gulping as she watched her parents' faces.
"What do Chi-Chi and Goku have to say about all this?" Bulma asked, right away.
"Well, they don't know yet. I was just going to have Goten call and tell them. Well, Piccolo's here; I have to get going. I love you, and we'll call and video message you so that you can talk to Vego and Chiulma. And of course, we'll be down for holidays. Love you, bye." Bulla quickly said, backing out of the room and headed to her family and Piccolo.
"I thought she said she was moving closer…" Bulma said in disbelief.
"Next time we see her, you can give her what for. For now, remember, you have five grandchildren who love us more than anything except their father and siblings. Would I love to see Vego and Chiulma more? Hell yes. But we barely know them; they barely know us. The only reason they know Trunks is because he has their cousins—who they used to play with. Them moving further away is nothing new; we already only see them on holidays and their birthdays. I can't believe I'm about to say what I'm about to say. But let's head back to the kids, wait for Trunks, and we'll do whatever you want until after this dinner thing of yours." Vegeta said, holding onto Bulma's shoulders.
"Ok. And you're right. Let's go." Bulma said with a soft, sad smile.
"Where are Bulla and Goten?" Trunks asked when they met up in front of their door.
"Piccolo took them home. Turns out they already moved—next to Aunt Tights." Bulma said, annoyed.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Trunks sincerely said.
"Yeah, me too. But your father has agreed to do whatever I wanted until after dinner. All of us, together." Bulma said with a smile.
"That's great. Well, we'd better get in there before something gets destroyed." Trunks calmly stated.
"They're not that bad." Bulma said, looking at Trunks.
"You don't know Kishu and Teddy when they're in a room together. Sure, they're well behaved in public, but that's about it." Trunks explained.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah—let's just get in there." Vegeta impatiently growled, annoyed.
"Right." Trunks said, opening the door.
When they got in there, they were shocked; everything looked like it was in place. Nothing was destroyed or even broken.
Kishu, Teddy, and Elm were playing " Go Fish ," Knickers was reading his book, and Lily was asleep in Knickers's arms, holding onto his shirt.
"What's going on in here?" Trunks was the one to finally break the silence.
"After you left, Vego and Chiulma wouldn't stop poking at Elm or Lily—no matter how many times we told them to stop." Kishu started.
"Lily started crying and breathing funnily, and Elm started making hissing noises; his eyes started glowing. Knickers gave them several warnings until that happened. He had to get up, out of the bed; he was not happy as he picked Lily up." Teddy continued explaining.
"Knickers?" Trunks asked, looking at his oldest.
"I gave them three warnings before getting up to take action. All I did was give them a firm lecture and set them on two different beds. They started fussing and throwing a fit, so, I had to raise my voice a little. They sat there shocked, before they started crying. I did and told the others to do what you taught us; we ignored them. Eventually they stopped crying and sat on the beds until Uncle Goten came and got them." Knickers explained.
"What about Lily?" Trunks asked.
"Once I set them on the bed, I immediately went over to Lily and rubbed her back until she calmed down. While I was rubbing her back, I lectured them. And when I had to raise my voice, I didn't mean to, but I scared Lily; she jumped a little, but she didn't push away or nothing. She just let me rub her back until she pulled away. She then crawled onto my lap; I started reading one of the books Grandma had picked up until she fell asleep." Knickers explained.
"How long has she been asleep?" Trunks calmly asked.
"Ten minutes maybe." Knickers answered.
"Ok. We'll let her sleep for a while longer." Trunks sighed.
"But I'm hungry!" Kishu whined right away.
"And you'll get something. Vegeta and I will go out and get everyone lunch. We just need to know what everyone wants." Bulma said with a smile...