CHAPTER SEVEN

“You asked to go to sleep?” Bulma asked incredulously.
 “I was tired, Bulma-sama,” Raiko defended.
 “Okay, enough of that.  If you’re calling my son Trunks-kun now, I’m either just plain ‘Bulma’ or ‘Bulma-chan,’ too.”
 “Yes, Bulma-ch—I’m sorry, I can’t do it.”
 Bulma laughed merrily. “Okay, so you’re a Super-Saiyajin.  What now?”
 “You know, I have absolutely no idea.  When you fix my time machine—can you tell when I’m from yet?”
 Bulma shook her head. “I’m sorry.  It’s there, way down, but I haven’t gotten to that part yet.  I can, if you really want.  I just usually work in a certain order.”
 “No, it’s no biggie.” Raiko sighed. “I still just can’t believe it.  I was _so angry_ last night.  I didn’t think it was possible for the body to produce as much rage as I did yesterday.”
 Bulma laughed. “That’s a requirement for becoming Super-Saiyajin,” she explained. “I don’t know why, but you have to angry to transform.”
 “Yeah, Trunks said that.  Where is he, anyway?”
 “Oh, he went out before breakfast to fly.  He’s never been a sensei before; I think he has to get used to fact that his pupil actually caught up to him.”
 “But I haven’t, not really.  Okay, so I have the power.  I don’t have any real idea how to use it.”
 “Don’t convince me.” Bulma laughed.
 Then something that profoundly changed Raiko’s life forever happened.
 A young man burst in and stopped in shock. “Bra?” he asked.
 The two women stared at him. “Who?” Bulma asked. “By Dende!  Trunks?”
 The man bowed deeply. “Mirai Bulma-sama.”
 “Who are you?” Raiko finally asked.
 He stared at her. “You are, of course, joking.”
 “Do I look like I’m joking?  Who are you?”
 “_Kuso_!” he swore. “You really don’t remember?”
 “Didn’t we just establish that?  Maybe it would help if you told me what I’m supposed to remember.”
 Then Trunks came in.
 “Mirai Trunks!” the man exclaimed.
 “Chibi—well, not so chibi now.  Kindai Trunks, I guess, would be more appropriate.  How is everyone?” Mirai Trunks asked.
 “Not good.  Some nutzoid, inspired by the good Dr. Gero and his own hatred for, well, us, made some androids.”
 Mirai Trunks went pale. “Androids?” he repeated.
 “They’re not built as well as 17 and 18 were, but he’s made a ton of them and they’re very troublesome.”
 “Is that why you came here?  Do you need me to help?”
 “No.  I came for her.” Kindai Trunks pointed to Raiko.
 “What?  Why?”
 “She’s my sister.”
 There was profound silence following his words.
 Bulma was the first to speak. “By—who?” she asked in a hoarse voice.
 Kindai Trunks looked surprised. “By Bulma and Vegeta, of course.”
 She swayed slightly. “They did stay together,” she whispered.
 Mirai Trunks went over and steadied her. “Kaasan, are you all right?”
 “Of course I am,” she said sharply.
 Kindai Trunks looked over Raiko. “Imoto, you really don’t remember me?  Or Kaasan and Tousan?  Or Marron?”
 “No, all right?” She glared at him. “I don’t.”
 “Kindai Trunks, why don’t you tell us all that happened?” Mirai Trunks suggested. “Maybe that will jog Rai-chan’s memory.”
 “Rai-chan?” Kindai Trunks echoed.
 “Oh, sorry.  When she couldn’t remember her name, we named her Raiko,” Mirai Trunks explained.
 “I see.  Well, we were just having a typical day, when all of a sudden me and Goten heard Imoto scream.” He looked at Raiko. “I guess when Mirai Azami and Mikka came, they changed more than they wanted.  That guy who made the androids was angry because we beat him so easily.  We’re a lot stronger because we’ve been training so much.” Kindai Trunks grinned ruefully. “And we still have six more years.  Anyway, we heard you scream, so we went over to see what was wrong, and you were in the grasp of the ugliest pile of bolts I’ve ever seen.  I’m talking seriously ugly.  But that’s beside the point.  It was carrying Imoto away.  Goten and I took it down easily, but that wasn’t the end of it.  All of a sudden—”
 “I’m sorry, who is Goten?” Bulma interrupted.
 “Kindai Trunks’ best friend,” Raiko said in a barely audible voice.
 “Do you remember now?” Kindai Trunks asked eagerly, kneeling next to her and taking her hand.
 “Mostly.” Her voice wasn’t any louder. “They were after me … they were going to get me.  I had to get away.  I ran for the lab … the time machine was in there, so I hid in it.  But they knew where I was and I had to get away and I couldn’t and then all of a sudden, it was going and I woke up … here.” Raiko looked up. “And now here we are.  And I’m in love with my brother!” She gasped and fled the room.
 “What was she talking about?” Kindai Trunks asked, confused.
 Mirai Trunks didn’t answer, just ran after Raiko.
 “Mirai Bulma-sama?” Kindai Trunks tried.
 “They … got very close.”
 “Oh, no,” Kindai Trunks breathed.
 “Oh, yes.  They aren’t related, you know.  I don’t have a daughter and Trunks, er, _this_ Trunks, doesn’t have a sister.  But now they can’t really be together.  Raiko wouldn’t be able to take it, and I don’t blame her.”
 “Her name is Bra,” Kindai Trunks said.
 “Bra.  Yes, I can see myself insisting on that name for my daughter.  But, as much as I might wish it otherwise, Trunks is _my_ only son.  I hope I can explain that to her.”
 “Only her?”
 “Yes.  I already explained it to Trunks.  We aren’t blind, you know.  The resemblance between she and I is remarkable.  We knew she had to be a relative of some sort.”
 “We did wonder why she didn’t come back home,” Kindai Trunks said softly. “We thought her time machine must’ve been broken.  It never occurred to me that she might have amnesia.”
 Bulma grinned at him. “Well, the time machine is broken, too.”
 “Ah.” They sat in silence for a while.  Then, “Mirai Bulma-sama?”
 “Yes?”
 “May I please have something to eat?”

***

 “Hey, Rai-chan,” Mirai Trunks said, settling himself next to her in a tree.  It had taken him a while to find her, but he had soon found her ki and traced her.
 “My name is Bra,” she said tonelessly, not correcting him, not accusing him, but merely stating a fact. “It’s not Raiko.  It’s Bra.”
 “Okay, then, Bra-chan.”
 “Don’t you get it, Trunks?” She turned towards him. “You don’t have a sister, so this won’t bother you, but I have a brother who could be your twin.  And I know he’s my brother now.  You’re not my brother, but I still can’t take it.”
 He felt his heart stop. “What do you mean?”
 “Oh, Trunks-kun.” She sighed. “I don’t regret our relationship, as it’s been.  And I won’t.  Not now, not ever.  But I will regret it if we continue it.  _Gomen nasai_ Trunks, but I can’t be with you any more.  It feels wrong.  I’m indescribably sorry.  But that’s how it is.”
 Mirai Trunks looked at her, seemingly mesmerized by how the wind blew the leaves of the tree they sat in.  He knew it wouldn’t be a bad thing, but if she was convinced it was, she would be unhappy.  And he didn’t want her to be unhappy.  But he also wanted _her_.  So, it came down to, did he love her enough to let her go?
 He couldn’t answer that. “I’m sorry,” he choked out, and flew away.  He could still feel her eyes on him long after she was out of sight.


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