DISCLAIMER (WITH STORY SUMMARY):

Vetyga: Oh no! Nooo way! NOPE! I did one of these back in CH 23… Now, it's your turn! Besides, it's your fault this chapter took so long that people mighta' forgotten stuff!

Rath: (Grumbles) Fine! (Holds giant stack of papers while looking at reader) Sooo... It's been a while… You guys already know how we don't own DBZ, so this chapter's Disclaimer will be a bit different. I'm going to summarize all of the events that had happened thus far. I figure some people may appreciate a little refresher. For those that don't need the summary, feel free to skip on ahead to the main story!

[START OF STORY SUMMARY, Covers Chapters 1–39]

In the beginning, Trunks has to do a school project about one of his parents. When his father refuses to help, Goku offers to take Trunks, Bulma, and Goten with him to Dende's Lookout where there exists a special time chamber capable of sending them into the Past. Dende assures they will be invisible to the past denizens so long as they do not interfere with anything going on. He warns that, while the Present World's Past would remain unchanged, it would still affect their future. It would also lead to the creation of an alternate timeline.

They find themselves at a point in time where Vegeta is 8 years old (henceforth referred to as "Vegge" to distinguish him from his older counterpart). Trunks hates how badly Vegge is treated and so interferes during one of Frieza's punishments. Something goes wrong, causing Trunks to become weaker than Frieza. His interference also causes them all to be trapped in the Past World. They allow themselves to be captured while they figure things out.

Vegge agrees to help them under the condition that they free him from Frieza. He helps convince Frieza to make Bulma one of his technicians. Bulma learns of a special time rift (which appears every 100 years) in the Schreetept Quadrant. It is due to appear within the next few weeks on Planet Rijow, so if they managed to get there, they can use it to return to the Present World. It is linked to an important riddle "As counted in, is counted out".

Eventually, Goku, Bulma, Trunks, Goten, and Vegge escape from Frieza's ship, only to be captured by a phantom ship known as the 'Ghoul Saber'. It is inhabited by the Saiyan-hating Yuuli. The Yuuli are all dead and cursed within a never-ending time-loop, doomed to repeat the events leading up to their deaths over and over again…

Trunks and Vegge get separated from the others. They run into the time-loop versions of Frieza and King Vegeta, who were directly responsible for the events the Yuuli are doomed to repeat. The time-loop Frieza orders King Vegeta, Trunks, and Vegge to continue the extermination of the Yuuli in a separate sector of the ship, while he himself takes out another. King Vegeta, Trunks, and Vegge end up facing off against the original creator of the Time-Loop, an elderly Yuuli known as the Schlakarr.

King Vegeta and Vegge are quickly put out of commission through the use of noxious fumes that had been engineered to counter pure-blooded Saiyans. Trunks is immune and so fights the Schlakarr by himself. Eventually, Goku locates them and also joins in the fight.

After the Schlakarr's defeat, Goku and the others are allowed to leave the 'Ghoul Saber'. They continue on their way to Rijow. Vegge had figured out the solution to the riddle "As counted in and counted out". Since four people had originally entered the Past World, it meant that only four people could return to the Present World. Vegge deceives them in order to secure his place as one of the four. His deception is why Trunks is now stuck in the Past…

[END OF STORY SUMMARY]

[AT CAPSULE CORP, PRESENT WORLD]

Vegge couldn't remember the last time food had been presented to him in such bountiful quantities. As far as he could tell, there was no catch behind the offering. He was told to eat to his heart's content. It was such a foreign concept for one used to being deprived of the most basic of necessities.

Frieza had never let Vegge forget how much control he had over every single aspect of his life. Things that most took for granted… Food… Water… Clothing… Shelter… Medical care… Frieza could take anything away from him at the slightest whim. Nothing was ever guaranteed. More often than not, Vegge was left in a constant state of neglect.

'It's a trick, you know,' the voice inside his head warned him as he hesitantly reached out for what he'd come to learn was a 'bread bun'.

Vegge quickly pulled his hand back and mentally assessed his surroundings. He warily eyed those around him one-by-one.

The elderly man beside him seemed too engrossed within his newspaper to pay him any mind. Every so often he'd take a short pause and take a sip of some steaming hot drink. The strange creature atop the man's shoulder mewed at Vegge, almost as if it knew it had caught his attention for that brief moment. Vegge assessed both of their threat levels to be low. They did not seem interested enough in him to pose any sort of threat to him.

The woman who had hugged him moments earlier was busy mixing up some new concoction in a giant bowl in the corner of the kitchen. As far as Vegge could tell, she was the primary cook. He watched her carefully, seeing if he could catch her secretly adding poison or something into the food. If she had done so, she was great at concealing her actions. Vegge noticed nothing. Still, for reasons unknown to him, he did not feel threatened by her. He was cautious as he was with everyone, but he did not feel any intent from her to cause him harm.

Vegge's gaze turned to Bulma, who was observing him carefully. He knew she was probably waiting for him to make some mistake that she could report him to his older self. Disobeying her was one of the reasons his older self had beaten him.

Then there was the young girl sitting directly across from him. She seemed content to munch down on the giant cupcake Vegge had placed before her. The sight was a bit ridiculous. The 'cake' was twice as big as her head! She could barely even pick the thing up. Still, she seemed content enough to try eating the whole thing.

Vegge assessed that the child herself posed zero threat to him either, but as he listened to her ridiculous song proclaiming how happy she was to have a new brother, he began to piece two and two together. So this was Vegeta's daughter!

Without even trying, Vegge had already broken another of his older self's rules. Vegeta had made it pretty clear Vegge was not to interact at all with his daughter. Whatever appetite he might have had vanished as a feeling of intense dread washed over him. The blood drained from his face and his hands began to shake.

'I didn't know!' Vegge thought miserably, but he knew from experience—ignorance was never a valid excuse. He'd be punished anyways. He wanted nothing more than to hide somewhere far away, but that had its own problems. One, he wasn't allowed to leave the premises without his older self's permission. Two, Vegeta gave him the order to stay there and finish eating. And three, afterwards, his older self expected Vegge to immediately seek audience with him. None of those left any opportunity to escape the situation.

Bulma noticed the shifts in Vegge's demeanor. She wanted to take him aside and ask him what was bothering him, but the others still had not noticed. She didn't want to cause him any unwanted attention. He was afraid of something, but she had no idea of what. Nothing in the immediate area seemed to warrant such a reaction. It worried her.

Bulma looked to her mother who was happily making some other main course dish. Bulma knew Bunny meant well, but she doubted Vegge would appreciate being smothered in another long embrace. He was on edge as it was.

Vegge knew he should take advantage of the opportunity to eat. Perhaps he could even eat until he was full! The only problem was he felt nauseous. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep himself from vomiting it all back up after he'd consumed it. Plus the thought of what his older self might do to him and the memories of what Frieza had done to him were enough to make him lose his appetite. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest.

'But what if this is the only chance I'll ever have to eat like this?' Vegge thought. 'What if my older self then forbids me from eating at all for a while after?'

'You deserve to suffer,' spoke the voice in the back of his head.

'He doesn't yet know what you did,' another voice reminded him.

'Right… He d-doesn't know…' Vegge was hopeful. 'He can't punish me for something he knows nothing about!'

'Eat!' the voice commanded him. 'Eat before you forever lose this opportunity.'

And so Vegge did...

After Vegge had gotten over his initial hesitation, he eagerly grabbed for every food item in reach. He consumed everything in quick small bites, barely giving himself time to chew or enjoy the taste of anything. The food was rich, far richer than his body was used to. It did not settle well in his stomach, but he could not control himself. He knew that, like Frieza, they could take it all away from him in an instant. He had to eat as much as possible before they did so.

Vegge used his hands for everything, even the messier items that normally required the use of utensils. Utensils were provided for him, but he simply did not know how to use them. Earthling tools were foreign to him. In spite of that, he took great care not to soil his clothes in the process. In fact, he was strangely meticulous, making certain not even a drop spilled on the table, the floor, or himself. This was surprising given how rapidly he was eating. None of the other Saiyans were as careful as that.

Whatever thoughts Bulma had as she watched Vegge eat were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

"Oh, I'll get that," Bunny cheerfully volunteered. She gently rubbed Vegge's back as she set another plate of food in front of him. She turned to make brief eye contact with Bulma before exiting the room.

'She knows,' Bulma thought to herself. 'Maybe not the details, but she knows…'

Five minutes later, Bunny returned, but she was not alone.

"Hey Mrs. Bulma!" Goten greeted enthusiastically. "Oh wow! So much food!"

"Hey Bulma!" Gohan greeted simultaneously.

"Hey guys!" Bulma was surprised to see them. "What brings you here?"

"Goten wanted to visit Vegge," Gohan shrugged.

Bulma's eyes softened. Goten was such a good kid. Like his father, he had such a big heart.

Vegge's body became tense when he noticed Gohan staring at him. He avoided eye contact and pretended to be too focused on eating to pay any attention, but Vegge was actually watching Gohan's every move. Who was this stranger? Was he stronger too?

Gohan frowned. He might not have noticed Vegge's strange reaction towards him; however, the moment Gohan laid eyes upon him, Vegge's ki spiked erratically, drawing his attention. Vegge's ki emitted an aura of extreme fear and anxiousness. Something about Gohan stressed the child greatly.

During the flight over, Goten had described some of the things he'd witnessed in the Past World.

"I didn't see exactly what happened to Vegge," Goten had explained. "But Trunks did… And I think Mrs. Bulma and Dad saw too. Vegge was so hurt... I thought he was gonna die… They said Frieza did it."

Gohan wasn't sure why he felt shocked by that revelation. From what he'd seen on Namek, Frieza was ruthless and cruel. Was it really so surprising that Frieza was a cruel caretaker too? Based on that, Gohan had an idea of what to expect when they arrived at the Briefs' residence, but seeing the results of the abuse up close was another story…

One glance was all it took for one to see that Vegge had been subjected to some extremely harsh treatment. Vegge's frame was far too thin. And the scars! The exposed areas of skin were riddled with copious amounts of them. Then there were the bruises... All were of varying ages.

What stuck out most to Gohan, however, were the large ugly bruises darkening the sides of Vegge's face.

'Those are recent injuries!' Gohan's hands balled into tight fists, but he tried not to jump to conclusions. 'There must be some explanation. Just because the bruises are recent, doesn't necessarily mean it was Vegeta who hurt him. Besides, even if Vegeta did cause him harm, it was probably an accident. They could have simply been training together. Vegeta's never been one to take it easy on anyone. That's gotta be the reason.'

Gohan relaxed. He felt content with that reasoning. He admired the older Vegeta a lot. He felt guilty for even considering such negative thoughts. People still had the habit of assuming the worst from Vegeta, despite the fact that he'd changed so much over the years. He didn't want to be like those people. Vegeta wasn't a bad person anymore.

Vegge's tail tightened around his waist. Why was the newcomer still staring at him?

"What? Never seen a Saiyan before?" Vegge growled. His voice was quiet, but the tone made it clear he would not be backing down if Gohan was a threat to him.

"Considering I'm a Saiyan, too, I regret to inform you that seeing another Saiyan is nothing new," Gohan joked. "Well, I'm half Saiyan, but you get the idea."

Vegge was unable to hide his surprise at that revelation. "Half Saiyan?"

"Ya! This is Gohan. He's my big brother!" Goten stated proudly.

"I see…" Vegge eyed Gohan warily. "Then Goku is your father?"

"He is," Gohan affirmed. "Hey, mind if we join you?"

Vegge shrugged.

Gohan took that for a 'yes'. At least it wasn't an outright refusal. He and Goten each pulled up a chair.

"You wanna come hang out with us?" Goten asked hopefully.

"No," Vegge replied. His response was immediate and absolute. He didn't give it any consideration.

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I don't have to answer to you!" Vegge replied a bit too defensively.

"Not if you don't want to," Gohan agreed. "But you are new to Earth, right? Aren't you curious to learn what life is like here?"

"I already know what life is like here," Vegge replied stubbornly. The fur on his tail bristled up, betraying his distress.

"Well, I think it'd be a great idea if you got out a bit more," Bulma encouraged. "There's so much more to this planet than staying locked up in your room all day."

Truthfully, she felt Vegge needed a break from Vegeta's so-called "discipline". It'd do him good to be in an environment where he did not have to worry about such things for a while. He needed to see that not everyone was out to get him. Perhaps it'd help him cope better? Her husband certainly wasn't helping.

"I-I'm not allowed," Vegge admitted.

"Vegeta told you that?" Bulma asked. Her irritation was almost palpable.

Vegge nodded.

"Oh! Then all we have to do is ask Mr. Vegeta if you can come play with us!" Goten exclaimed. He jumped up. "I'm sure he'd be fine with it. I used to ask him all the time if Trunks could come out and play. He never once said 'no'. Not once!"

"He probably is worried about you running into trouble if you went out on your own," Gohan reasoned. "My mom used to be overly protective like that. Bet he just doesn't want anything bad to happen to you, since you don't know anything about Earth."

'That's not the reason,' Vegge thought to himself. 'I'm sure he'd be happy if something bad happened to me.'

"Let's go find him!" Goten rushed out the kitchen in search of Vegeta.

"Don't worry about it," Bulma told Vegge. "It'll be okay."

"Okay," Vegge gave in. He reluctantly climbed down from his seat and followed Gohan.

"Great!" Gohan smiled down at him, but Vegge kept his eyes focused down at his feet.

As Gohan and Vegge exited the building, they could hear Goten's relentless pleas.

"Pleeeeeease, Mr. Vegeta!" Goten asked for what must have been the tenth time. "Pleeeeease, can Vegge come play?"

"I said, no!" followed Vegeta's stern reply.

"Hey Vegeta!" Gohan called out, drawing the man's attention away from his brother.

"Gohan," Vegeta acknowledged. Upon noticing his younger self, his eyes darkened. "I take it you've finished eating, brat?"

Vegge nodded. He did not lift his gaze from the ground.

The presence of Goten and Gohan was the only thing staying Vegeta's hand at the moment. How many times did he have to tell Vegge to speak up when questions were asked of him? The brat infuriated him. He refused to listen.

"If you're worried about Goten and Vegge getting into trouble, I'll be with them to make sure that doesn't happen!" Gohan assured the man.

Vegeta scoffed at the thought.

"Fine," he conceded after a while. "I will allow it."

Vegge looked up in surprise. Vegeta was actually going to let him go?

"Yay!" Goten exclaimed as he levitated up in the air. "Come on, guys! Let's go have fun!"

Gohan grinned. "Thanks, Vegeta. Goten has been looking forward to hanging out with Vegge all day. Don't worry… I'll make sure they behave!"

"I want him back by sunset," Vegeta remarked.

"Sunset," Gohan confirmed. "You got it!"

Vegeta then turned a glaring eye towards Vegge. "I expect no less than perfect behavior from you, brat. Understand?"

Vegge nodded.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed hold of Vegge's arm and pulled him in close. His grip was painfully tight. Vegeta lowered his voice to no more than a whisper, so that the others could not overhear.

"My patience runs thin with you, brat," Vegeta quietly warned. "The next time you fail to properly answer me will be your last. Is that clear?"

Vegge swallowed nervously before sputtering, "Y-Yes, s-sir. I-I-I… u-understand."

"Good… Do not disappoint me," Vegeta warned before releasing his hold. He gave Gohan a pointed look before wordlessly leaving them to their own devices.

Gohan frowned when he noted how Vegge was now shaking.

"Hey, are you okay, Vegge?" Gohan asked.

"Yes," Vegge replied automatically. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"What did he tell you?" Gohan asked softly.

"He told me to behave," Vegge shrugged it off.

Vegge tried to sound nonchalant about it, but Gohan could hear the uneasiness in his voice. Gohan's gaze shifted down to Vegge's arm.

"Alright, kiddo…" Gohan said after a long moment of silence. He flashed Vegge a giant grin and tried to keep up the pretense of being upbeat. "Let's get going!"

"After you," Vegge barely spoke above a whisper.

As the three Saiyans all took flight, Gohan could not erase the sight of Vegge's arm from his mind. For Vegge now had a newly darkening cluster of bruises forming on his skin in the very spot Vegeta had grabbed him.

In fact, both of Vegge's arms were covered with similar clusters. Gohan wasn't sure how he'd overlooked them before. Perhaps he'd thought they were older than they actually were.

"Sunset…" Gohan repeated aloud.

That's when Gohan agreed to return Vegge home, but how could do that, knowing what he knew now?

Rath: And so ends another chapter of TTWV! Once again, things took a slight shift from what I'd originally intended. I swear… The characters just keep leading themselves where they want.

In the next chapter, I will focus more on what's going on with Trunks in the Past World.

To WildVegeta: Unfortunately, that cliffhanger is still… Cliffing? Hanging? Umm… Well, you know what I mean! I will definitely address it in the next chapter though. In fact, I'll probably dedicate most if not all of the Chapter 41 to Trunks.

At Mandy: Sorry for the duper long update :( Also, Vegge does get some nice moments!

At Guest: Yay, update! Trunks is certainly in an interesting predicament…

At Hdhannah: I love you too! Thanks for the review! (Also, here is another update for you! Sorry for taking so long… Again…)

At lolas444: Indeed, one would think the older Vegeta would at least try to be more understanding towards Vegge… Instead, he's doing everything he himself once hated. As for Trunks, that is an extremely good insight into a potential path Trunks could take. You've officially helped create another possible ending to this story. I'm honestly not sure how TTWV is going to end… At this point, I think there are five or more different ones.

At Cursd-Love: Still chugging along… Slowly but surely. Glad you enjoy it so far!

At Jonnie Joke: Unfortunately, this was the opposite of 'soon'… Hope you still enjoy it.

Also, a big thanks to all those who continue to read/favorite/review this story, in spite of my irregularities. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next time… Sawatdee!