CHAPTER EIGHT

Kindai Trunks watched his sister closely when she finally came back to the Capsule Corp.  She seemed subdued and obviously angry about something. “Imoto?” he ventured as he sat at the table after dinner.  She was washing dishes, and he couldn’t help feel her back was deliberately turned on him.
 “What?”
 “I’m sorry.”
 “Why?  I have to come home.  I have to help fight.  I didn’t have to get myself romantically involved with anyone here.” She turned and faced him. “How is Marron doing?”
 Trunks smiled. “She’s great, but we’ve all missed you,” he said.  Then, “Wait.  Did you say ‘help fight’?  Imoto—”
 She smiled for the first time since his arrival. “I wasn’t much of a fighter, was I?  Well, not in the physical sense.  Watch this, Trunks.” She stood up and began powering up.
 “Imoto!” Kindai Trunks gasped as her power level grew.
 “But there’s more.  You know what you and Tousan and Jisans Goku and Gohan and Niichan Goten do?”
 “What do you mean?”
 “This.”
 And his sister went into Super-Saiyajin.
 Kindai Trunks almost fell out of his chair. “Bra-chan!” he exclaimed.
 “Isn’t it amazing?” she asked, her aura dying down, but still remaining in SSJ. “Trunks-ch—Mirai Trunks taught me.”
 “That’s incredible.  Kaasan and Tousan won’t be happy, you know.”
 “Yeah.  But I didn’t remember that when Mirai Trunks asked if I wanted training.” She smiled at him. “I about fell over when he offered, but I didn’t know why.  Now I do.  You would _never_ train me.”
 Kindai Trunks shrugged. “We just didn’t think …” It trailed off.
 Bra shook her head. “It’s okay, Niichan.  I never was into fighting like Pan was.  But now …” She also let her sentence trail off. “Then I started training, and I really loved it.  I guess the Saiyajin willingness to fight in me emerged.  I don’t think _that_ will upset Tousan too much.  At least, I hope not, because I’m not about to repress it, not when you guys needs all the help you can get to beat the androids.” She grinned. “And I guess this is the Saiyajin stubbornness in me emerging.”
 Kindai Trunks reached over and squeezed her hand. “Imoto, Bra, I’m sorry about this.  I wish—”
 “Please don’t take about it.  This is hard enough, without us dwelling on it.  But I appreciate it.  You are a good brother, Niichan Trunks.  You really are.  I know you didn’t do any of this to try and hurt me.”
 “Thank you, Bra.”
 “When are we leaving?”
 “We _can_ leave tomorrow.”
 Pain flashed across her face. “Then we should,” she said resolutely.
 “We don’t have to, Bra-chan.  We’re going to the past.  It doesn’t matter when we leave here, we can show up back home whenever we want.”
 “Excuse me, but I’ve been meaning to ask you something about that,” Bulma cut in.
 “Yes, Mirai Bulma-sama?” Kindai Trunks asked.
 She sighed. “I just got you to stop saying that,” she said to Bra, then turned back to Kindai Trunks. “I was fixing Bra-chan’s time machine here and I couldn’t figure out how to get her across the dimension.  I could send her to the past, but I how do I get to the right dimension?”
 Kindai Trunks grinned. “My mother also had trouble with that.  The time machine Bra used hadn’t been tested yet, and we had no idea where she went.  Then—”
 “Excuse me, you two,” Bra interrupted. “I’m going to go to bed now.  I’m not really into scientific calculations, but I’m sure it’s just _fascinating_.” As she left, she muttered under her breath, “For eggheads.”
 “I heard that,” Kindai Trunks said.
 “Heard what, dear Niichan?” Bra asked and quickly escaped.

***

 Mirai Trunks blew his breath out in frustration.  He couldn’t find Bra anywhere, and he _had_ to talk to her.  Although, after his abrupt exit earlier, he wouldn’t blame her if _she_ didn’t want to talk to _him_.  Still, he had to at least try.  He couldn’t leave things the way they were between them—totally unresolved.
 _Hey, brilliant, if you can’t find her with your eyes, why not try locating her ki?  Remember, you did it earlier, when you totally botched up your relationship with her_, a dry voice inside him asked.  Oh.  Right.  Good idea, Self.
 _Don’t mention it._
 Mirai Trunks grinned, closed his eyes, and concentrated.  Almost immediately, he knew where she was.  He hurriedly flew there, landing next to her almost soundlessly.
 “Hello, Mirai Trunks,” Bra said woodenly.
 “You don’t seem surprised to see me.”
 “I knew you’d come.  You like to tie up loose ends, and, right now, I’m a loose end.”
 He hated how she put that.  Yes, he wanted to resolve the issues between them.  But thinking of her as only a loose end to tie up?  No, he never did—or could. “Rai-chan, that’s unfair.”
 “I know.  I’m sorry.”
 “Me, too.  I shouldn’t have left like I did.  I know what I have to do, Rai-chan, and there’s just one thing I want to do first.” He tilted her head up and she could see his mouth angling towards hers.
 Bra stared at him, tried to protest as his lips finally grazed hers, oh-so-gently, and tried to pull away.  She was convinced that she would soon feel a sense of wrongness, that she would feel guilt at committing something that should, in all reality, feel like incest.
 It never came.
 Even if it had, Bra knew she wouldn’t have noticed it; so many other emotions rose in her at that kiss.
 “You see?” Mirai Trunks whispered. “We are _not_ brother and sister, and I will never feel like a brother to you.”
 She opened her eyes—when had she closed them?—and looked up at him. “Yes,” she said softly, then took a deep breath, “but that still doesn’t change what has to happen.  You belong here, and I belong in the past.  But I don’t want us to part enemies.” She traced the muscles of his jaw. “You will never be my enemy.”
 “And you will never be mine.” He took her hand and kissed the fingers.
 She gently disengaged her hand. “Good.”
 “Then there’s just one thing left to settle.”
 “What?”
 “I want to go back to the past with you.”
 “_What_?” she exclaimed.
 He held a hand up. “Hear me out.  I won’t stay there, of course.  I know you’ve reached Super-Saiyajin, but if the androids couldn’t be beat by all the warriors, one more who’s not really used to her powers won’t help all that much.  However, two Super-Saiyajins, if one’s experienced, would.”
 Bra pondered that. “Of course, I don’t know if they used Gogeta or Gotenks.  That always tips the battle in our favor.”
 “Who and who?”
 She blinked at him. “That’s right.  Goten doesn’t exist, and Tousan and Goku never fused here.” She blew out her breath. “Okay, in a nutshell.  In my past, Goku had a son named Goten one year younger than my brother.  When they were younger, they fused to make a super-powerful warrior named Gotenks.” She shrugged. “In times of dire need, Tousan and Goku fused as well.  I don’t know if they decided the need was dire enough to call on them.”
 “Vegeta and Goku … fused?” Mirai Trunks repeated incredulously.
 “Tousan had mellowed a lot by my birth, Trunks-kun.  He even lets me take him shopping.” She grinned mischievously. “He’s always the best-dressed father at any social event.”
 Mirai Trunks just stared at her.
 “Doesn’t it ache having your jaw hang like that?” Bra asked casually.

 Mirai Trunks closed it with an audible snap. “Shopping?  Social events?  We’re talking about the same person?”
 Bra couldn’t help laughing at his amazed expression. “Incredibly enough, yes.” She stood up and tugged on his hand. “Come on.  We should go home and get my brother to agree to let you come and help.”

***

 “No.”
 “Kindai Trunks, listen to reason,” Mirai Trunks started.
 “No, absolutely not.  You can’t come back and risk your life again.  You just saved this world.  We can’t ask you to come save ours again, not when it’s so dangerous.”
 Mirai Trunks clenched his teeth. “Listen to me—”
 “No, you listen to me.  I’m older—” Kindai Trunks suddenly grinned. “I never thought I’d get to say that to you.  Feels good.  Back to the subject at hand.  I’m older and I _do_ know what’s best.”

 Bra laid a calming hand on Mirai Trunks’ arm. “Let me.” She looked up at Kindai Trunks. “Niichan,” she started, in her best wheedling tone.  Bulma let out a snort of laughter.  Bra pointedly ignored it. “Niichan, people are dying because of the androids.  More every day.  They whipped me, and it hurt.  I don’t want anyone else to have to suffer that, and if Mirai Trunks can prevent that, I think we should give him the opportunity.  Think about Marron.  We’re going to face a worse battle in six years.  We can’t afford to lose anyone now.”
 He stared down at her. “Every time!” he finally exploded. “Every time, I vow, ‘She’ll never get away with it again.’ ”
 Bra grinned triumphantly. “Mirai Trunks, pack your bags.  You’re coming with us.”

 “You know, I think it’s a good thing I never had a little sister,” he muttered. “It appears I lost my will when you arrived.”
 “Hush, Mirai Trunks,” she said serenely. “I can just as easily convince Niichan here that you shouldn’t come, so I’m thinking you just might want to stay on my good side.”
 “Yes, ma’am.”
 Bra looked at Bulma. “You were right.  Obedient and smart.”
 “Yes, he’s my pride and joy.”


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