Chapter 4
I felt the Gateway's light envelope me. The last two minutes had passed by quickly and I didn't move when the glow washed in. My grey eyes didn't blink; they couldn't blink. I couldn't move, but only hovered in the vastness of the portal between worlds while my heavier riaru body mutated into my lithe anime body full of paint and smoothness.
The shock overwhelmed me and I felt that if I tried to move, my limbs would just snap I was so tense. I wanted to cry. I wanted to laugh insanely. And I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs.
I did nothing except float and stare blankly at nothing until the Gateway left me in the midst of the woods outside Capsule Corporation. The wet grass seeped into my clothes as I sank to the ground once my feet touched. I felt a light touch on my head and looked up into the carefully blanked face of Piccolo.
"I'm fine," I lied, noting his silent question. My eyes turned to the grass again. The long-nailed hand resting on my head pressed in a little more firmly before raising in a swish of cloth. Piccolo was gone.
I sat there for a while longer before getting to my feet and heading back toward Bulma's company. Bulma . . . how would she handle this news? I thought back to what I remembered of the Dragon Ball Z show. Bulma had actually taken the news very easily. And Vegeta . . .
Vegeta I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember!
I let out a groan and quickened my pace. Then it hit me. He was in there. How could I face that boy? How could I now that I knew who he really was?
Ally, Ally, I mentally chided myself. You're not even sure if he is the right one.
But what if he is?
"Argh!" I shifted undecidedly outside the dome-shaped building. I was Ally sei Vegeta, the wife of the Prince of the Saiyajins, the adopted daughter of the strongest man in the universe. I had once stood up to Frieza himself. I could deal with the consequences of that boy actually being who I feared he was.
And besides, I was being silly. That boy couldn't possibly be him. The timing was all off. The androids should have appeared a long time ago and yet hadn't to my knowledge.
Yes, I'm being silly.
I squared my shoulders and grasped the front doorknob, swinging it open. I half expected the boy to be standing there in the middle of the living room but it was empty, everyone having gone to bed. I relaxed, walking down the hallway to where Vegeta was, and froze.
The boy stepped out of his room and started when he saw me. We stared at each other; time seemed to stop.
"Do you know me?" he asked again. He nervously flickered a hand through his violet hair, blue eyes plagued with emotions I couldn't comprehend.
I choked back a sob. The hall seemed to tip sideways.
My Kami, you tried to warn me.
My Kami, it is him.
Trunks, from the future.
Mirai Trunks.
***
"Ally, Ally!"
People were calling my name and I struggled to reply.
"Ally, dammit! Wake up, Ally!"
I did, my grey eyes sliding carefully open. Everyone was leaning over me worriedly and my head lay in ChiChi's lap.
"What happened?" I said, sitting up and holding a hand to my forehead.
"You fainted, dear," ChiChi informed me.
Bulma jutted a finger behind her. "The mysterious youth here didn't know what to do so he woke us up."
"Huh?" I mumbled.
The small group parted, like the Red Sea, and the boy stepped forward. He was blushing, head lowered and shoulders hunched. When he spoke, I realized then that this was the figure that had haunted my dreams. Those blue eyes . . .
"I wasn't sure if you were okay," he said softly. He seemed hesitant, choosing his words cautiously. "I just couldn't tell."
Before I could answer, the phone rang loudly, startling us all.
"I'll get it!" yelled Yamucha and he hurried away. Moments later, he came back, cordless phone in hand. "It's for you, Ally. It's Krillin."
I frowned and got to my feet. I was careful to keep my eyes off of the lavender-haired boy, Trunks. I knew if I did, I was bound to totally lose it.
I took the received from Yamucha and moved away. "Hello, Krillin?"
"Hey, Ally," came the short monk's grave-sounding voice. "I'm sorry to call so late."
"No problem," I said, grinning a little. "Remember that I used to call you all the time way too late. But Krillin, what's the matter?"
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I wanted to see if you knew what's going on, since you seem to have an inkling for this sort of thing sometimes. I called your home. No answer. I called ChiChi's and Gohan said you were at Bulma's so I called here. I just got this weird feeling, Ally girl. It's got both me and Master Roshi spooked. We think there's some great power headed this way, or maybe it's here already. Have you or the others felt anything?"
"Yeah," I said, glancing at the small group watching me. Trunks met my gaze. I looked quickly away. "Listen, Krillin. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? And we'll get together and watch that game on TV."
"Wha-?" was his confused remark but I quickly said goodbye and hung up.
I chuckled weakly, answering the others' questioning looks. "Ah, Krillin's a little too excited about that game tomorrow."
"What ga-" started Yamucha but Bulma's elbow in his side shut him up.
"Can't you see she's tired?" Bulma said, waving a hand at me. "It's past midnight and I've got work tomorrow morning anyway. So, shoo shoo! Off to bed everyone!"
Vegeta shot her a hard look and I uneasily sided up to him and looped my arm around his. He tensed, as usual, and glared down at me but allowed me to tug him further down the hallway. I wanted to get him away from Trunks. It was too weird to see his future 'parents' standing together like that. In his mind, that's who they were. In my mind, Vegeta belonged only to me.
Trunks still had his head ducked, blue eyes carefully observing Vegeta through lavender strands of hair. He had never known his father, but he still looked so much like him . . .
"Come on, Vegeta," I said, flashing what I hoped was a smile. "Bulma, uh, what about him?"
The woman put her hands on her hips. "You too, young man," she ordered Trunks. "We'll figure out what's going on in the morning."
He agreed softly, turning his eyes to each of us before slipping by and entering his room. The door closed and we all seemed to breathe a little easier. The six of us said our goodnights and Bulma, Yamucha retired along with ChiChi.
"Goodnight, Dad," I said to Gokou but he caught my arm as Vegeta and I passed.
"What is it, Kakarot?" Vegeta growled.
"I'm getting Gohan and Piccolo together tomorrow morning to spar." I noticed how serious his face was. Trunks' power . . . they could still sense it like I could. That's what Krillin had been talking about. If only they knew just how powerful Trunks really was . . . "Be there?" he asked Vegeta.
The other Saiyajin snorted but I saw he inclined his head ever so slightly.
My anime father leaned closer and said in a lower voice, "I sense much hate in that boy. And much sorrow. Yet there is no blackness in his heart."
We were all silent with Gokou's uncharacteristic words. My husband grunted in reply and walked down the hallway to our guest room. Giving Gokou a meaningful look, I followed.
Things had just gone from fair to bad, very bad. What was I supposed to do? I didn't even have Kami anymore to talk to about this. Not that I could actually tell anyone.
That's it!
I formulated a plan right there and then . . . a plan to never let anyone find out who Trunks really was.
And to never let anyone know how things should have been.
***
Trunks pressed his ear against the door, listening for any sounds that they were still out there. They weren't. The door hissed open and he stepped out into the empty hallway with every intent of leaving Capsule Corporation. Then he heard that girl's voice- Ally, they had called her.
He had been bewildered at how familiar she was with the others. Kaa-san had never mentioned her before. Maybe whatever changed Gokou's arrival time had also brought her into their lives. It seemed unlikely but everything kaa-san calculated had gone wrong. Gokou was already home and Frieza . . . Frieza was no where to be found.
He listened a while longer to Ally's muffled words and Vegeta's responsive grunting. His father had been very worried about the girl with the braid when she had fainted- another thing that confused him.
What was going on?
Trunks sighed and moved back into the room, tapping the panel to close the door. Maybe someone could answer his questions. If he could confide in someone . . . that would make it all the more easy.
But who?
The young man slid off his boots and stretched out on the small bed. Gokou, his mother's old friend. Tomorrow he'd talk to Gokou. Tomorrow he'd give him the medicine and tell him about the androids.