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kitsunelover300: Tarble's inclusion is actually an idea you gave me during one of our many conversations! The more I had thought it out, the more it worked. His inclusion actually has a small, but important part in the story…you'll see! :) I really wanted to set up both sides of the story in the first two chapters. It becomes very important as the story goes on and, as you said, it'll make the resolution all the more satisfying! Pan is actually 15, so yeah, she probably loose close to what she looked like in GT…maybe a bit taller. Pan, Goshan, and Laise are fun to write, so I'm glad you enjoy them. They'll become even more fun when Goku and company from the past show up in the story. :)

Enjoy the Chapter.

Different Upbringing (Book 3): Adjusting

Summary: Mirai Trunks and Mirai Natsuki brought peace to their timeline after defeating the wretched androids. Now, 8 years of peace later, trouble has begun to brew…in more ways than one. With Mirai Babidi brewing trouble, can M. Trunks and M. Natsuki save their fragile world?

By: Givihe

Chapter 3: Strange Power

-Mirai Timeline-

-Regular POV-

"I appreciate it." M. Tarble replied solemnly. A sigh left M. Tarble as thoughts circulated in his mind, shaking his head to clear said thoughts. "As curious I am to hear when did my brother in, I fear we don't have the time at the moment."

"Someone's after you?" M. Trunks prompted M. Tarble to elaborated.

M. Tarble nodded. "A terrible brother duo named Abo and Cado were terrorizing our planet years ago." He started to explain, squeezing M. Gure's hand. "Gure and I left to seek help. I knew Vegeta was under Frieza's control after our planet blew up, and I heard that the last place Frieza had been on was Planet Namek. I found it, and the Namekians there told me that Vegeta had settled on Earth. However, when I first ventured towards Earth, I arrived around the same time as a ship very much like Frieza's."

"When was this?" M. Natsuki questioned.

M. Tarble turned thoughtful. "Hm, had to of been over 10 years ago, now. Maybe 15." He said.

M. Natsuki and M. Trunks shared a look. "That must have been Cooler. Frieza's brother." M. Natsuki explained. "He came to Earth after hearing that Frieza and Frig were killed by Saiyans that called Earth home. I escaped from Frig, so Cooler's goal was to capture me again to punish me for the family's so-called crimes."

"That must be it. Frieza was said to be dead at the point I was seeking help the first time." M. Tarble confirmed with a nod of his head. "When I saw the ship, though, I fled immediately. I wasn't sure what was going on, and I knew I'd only be a hassle to my brother. Plus, my scouter wasn't picking up any major power levels at the time, so I also assumed that maybe Vegeta had moved onto another planet." M. Tarble sighed, a saddened look briefly crossed his face. "Now, I know he wasn't even alive."

M. Trunks gave his uncle a sympathetic look. "This brotherly duo, what do they want?" he asked.

"Abo and Cado; they're remanents of Frieza's army. They were on the same level as the Ginyu Force back in the day. Now, they're even stronger than Frieza was himself." M. Tarble continued to explain. He clenched his fists for a moment before releasing them. "I faced them, but I proved to be no match for them. My father sent me to the planet I was on because I wasn't much of a fighter. While he never admitted it, I knew I disappointed him." M. Tarble shrugged, whether it was true or not was irrelevant at this point. "Anyway, Abo and Cado have been trying to rebuild the empire that Frieza had been operating at the time of his death. The planet I was on isn't known for fighters either. It's a beautiful planet, really, and there are some good resources. So, I'm guessing Abo and Cado are doing what Frieza would have done. Strip the resources for themselves or resale the planet after exterminating those on the planet. It's hard to say. We haven't been back home for quite a while."

"What do you mean?" M. Trunks asked again.

"When I saw that ship in Earth's atmosphere, we fled." M. Tarble started to elaborate. "The only thing we could do at that point was staying one step ahead of Abo and Cado. We stayed on the run for a while, and eventually, we lost them. We'd stay on a planet for a little while before moving so they wouldn't be able to pinpoint us so easily. We had been able to stay on the last planet for just over a year."

"We had agreed that if that amount of time had gone by, we'd return to our home planet." M. Gure added.

M. Tarble shared a sad smile with his wife. "Right when we were starting to think about going home, Abo and Cado appeared out of nowhere." He said, his eyebrows furrowing. "It was strange. We had escaped them for years, and for them to be able to find us so easily was…unusual. Rebuilding what Frieza had established wasn't going well. Sure, there was a new empire forming, but it's small and not as wide-reaching as it previously was." A thoughtful look came over his face, with his eyes looking a bit disturbed. "But them finding us again wasn't what seemed so…odd. When we came face to face with them again, they were acting differently…something was just…off about them."

"Different how?" M. Natsuki prompted, crossing her arms in as a thoughtful look came over her face.

"Normally, Abo and Cado are arrogant. They talk and threaten a lot." M. Tarble elaborated. "But, this time, they were quiet and calculating. We had been able to escape from them because their arrogance causes them to make easy mistakes. It was a lot harder to escape from them this time. I blew up one of their ships, so hopefully, that slowed them down. But, I'm sure they were right on our tail."

M. Gure cleared her throat, a nervous look in her eyes. "There were these symbols on their foreheads as well." She added in a meek voice. "They weren't there before."

"Symbols? What kind?" M. Trunks asked.

M. Gure shrugged. "I haven't seen it before." She said.

"Could you draw it, perhaps?" M. Trunks suggested.

M. Gure looked around. "Where?"

M. Trunks gave her an encouraging smile. "In the dirt is fine." He said. M. Gure did as he asked, finding a patch of dirt among the grassy plains.

"It looks like a weird 'M'." M. Goshan murmured as he and his sister peaked at M. Gure's drawing. M. Goshan smiled meekly when his gaze met that of his mother, who had a raised eyebrow direct at him. M. Natsuki had some amusement in her eyes before turning back to the conversation with a serious expression.

M. Trunks crossed his arms as he grimaced. "I don't recognize it." He said before looking at M. Natsuki. "Do you?"

M. Natsuki shook her head. "No idea, either." She said. "It may be from some obscure population somewhere in the galaxy maybe…but that's a stretch. Even if it is, though, I've never seen anything like it."

"Could you still help us?" M. Gure pleaded.

M. Tarble furrowed his eyebrows. "Will you two be strong enough, though?" he asked. "Abo and Cado, while they were stronger than Frieza the first time we were dealing with them, there is something strange about their power this time."

M. Trunks gave them a reassuring look. "We'll be just fine." He assured.

"You shouldn't rely solely on your scouter, Tarble." M. Natsuki added, getting M. Tarble's attention to shift to her. "Power levels can easily change."

M. Tarble was still unsure. After all, he had been using his scouter for most of his life. Regardless, M. Tarble nodded towards M. Trunks and M. Natsuki. "I'll trust you then." He said.

Before anything else could be said, M. Tarble's scouter started 'beeping' rapidly. M. Trunks and M. Natsuki, along with M. Pan, stretched out their senses. Almost immediately, they felt a significant power level. The device on M. Natsuki wrist was also picking up the abnormality.

"That's strange. My scouter is only picking up one power level." M. Tarble stated. Remembering M. Natsuki's comment on scouters, he looked over to his nephew and his wife. "What about you? Are you only feeling one?"

M. Trunks nodded. "Yeah, so are we." He agreed, leaving M. Tarble confused and worried.

M. Natsuki placed a hand on M. Tarble's shoulder, causing the shorter Saiyan to look at her. "There's nothing for you to worry about. No matter what is going on, Trunks and I can handle this. By the time this is over, you two will never have to worry about Abo and Cado again." She tried to reassure.

Still apprehensive, M. Tarble nodded while M. Gure looked grateful. "Thank-you." They chorused.

Similar to how M. Tarble and M. Gure arrived, a ship entered Earth's atmosphere and was coming full speed close to their location. M. Natsuki took off the device around her wrist and handing it to M. Pan.

"Hold onto this for me, will you?" M. Natsuki asked, getting a nod from M. Pan. "This shouldn't take long, but I don't want it damaged."

M. Trunks looked back at M. Tarble and M. Gure. "Stay back at a safe distance." He advised before his gaze shifted to that of his children standing nearby. "If you could keep an eye on Goshan and Laise for us, we'd appreciate it."

M. Tarble looked at the two children before nodding to his nephew. "No problem."

M. Goshan crossed his arms in disappointment. "Pft. We can defend ourselves!" he declared.

M. Natsuki stared blankly at her son. "The two of you haven't even learned how to fly yet." She stated dryly, causing M. Goshan to blush in embarrassment.

M. Tarble cracked a smile before he broke out in light laughter. "I can see the resemblance." He stated. "Reminds me of when Vegeta and I were kids. He acted very similarly."

M. Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Kami, help me." She muttered under her breath.

M. Trunks had heard his wife's comment and covered a laugh with a cough before looking at his son. "Goshan." He called in a mildly strict tone. "I appreciate that you want to help, but the best thing you can do at this point is to stay with Tarble, Gure, and Pan. You're safer with them, and that will put your mother and I at ease." M. Trunks patted his son's head. "One day, you'll be strong enough. Both of you will, I promise."

"Fine." M. Goshan grumbled.

M. Laise smiled at her father, giving him a hug around his legs. "Don't worry, Daddy. We'll stay away from the fight…even if I have to hold Goshan down. You and Momma won't have to worry about us. Promise!" she said, getting a shout of 'hey' from her brother. M. Trunks patted his daughter on the head, giving her a small smile.

"Goody-two-shoes." M. Goshan grumbled, still grumpy over his sister's declaration.

"You just want to be a show-off." M. Laise retorted.

"No, I don't!" M. Goshan exclaimed.

M. Tarble chuckled before kneeling by the young children. "You know, you could learn quite a lot from watching your parents in this fight." He said, elaborating when M. Goshan looked at him, confused. "Fighting isn't just about jumping into any fight you can. Part of it is training yourself physically and mentally. There is just as much technique in fighting as physical strength."

M. Natsuki had been watching M. Tarble interact with her children and had heard his words when she got an idea. "Goshan, Laise." She called, getting their attention. "Perhaps you can use this opportunity to better your sensing skills." Smiles quickly appeared on the twins' faces at being able to do something other than just watch. "An important part of fighting in knowing your enemy's location. I'm sure Tarble can help you if you get lose out locatoin."

"Sure." M. Tarble agreed, resulting in M. Goshan and M. Laise high-fiving each other.

"Pan." M. Trunks called, continuing when M. Pan looked at him. "Stand in front of them in case there are any stray ki blasts that come your way." M. Pan nodded. Although she was slightly disappointed at not being part of the fight, she didn't complain. "Also, be prepared in case Abo or Cado come towards Tarble and Gure, and we can't get there fast enough. You're the next line of defense."

"Right! You can count on me!" M. Pan declared.

In the next moment, the loud sound the impact of the ship echoed in the immediate area. As the door opened and the figure inside stepped out, M. Tarble and M. Gure gasped at the figure. Said figure was rather large and bulky with purple skin, large ears, an antenna, and a large chin with spikes. As M. Natsuki looked at the figure closer, she could see bulged veins alongside his bulky figure. There was a dark shadow over his eyes as well as the blaringly obvious 'M' on his forehead like M. Gure had describe.

M. Natsuki's eyebrows furrowed. Something feels…off about him. She thought to herself. Shifting her gaze to M. Trunks, M. Natsuki could see that her husband had felt the same thing she had. The figure, upon getting out of his ship, looked around until his eyes found M. Tarble standing behind M. Trunks and M. Natsuki. A wicked, evil smile came over the figure's face, causing M. Gure to hide behind M. Tarble.

M. Tarble became stiff as he used his larger body to shield his wife. He glared at the figure, who was familiar, yet also unfamiliar. "Where are Abo and Kado?" he demanded.

"Silly, pathetic Saiyan." The figure said, his voice deep and scratchy. "I am Aka, the fused being of Abo and Kado." The wicked, evil smile got larger as his gaze shifted from M. Tarble to M. Natsuki and M. Trunks. "You have led me exactly where I need to be."

"Wha-" M. Tarble started to say before Aka charged abnormally fast, landing a decisive blow on M. Trunks that sent him flying backward.

"Trunks!" M. Natsuki yelled. Aka shifted his focus to M. Natsuki as he swung his arm towards M. Natsuki's chest. M. Natsuki raised her right arm to block the attempted attack. Without turning, M. Natsuki yelled out orders. "Pan, get them to a safe distance! Quickly!"

"Right!" M. Pan yelled in reply.

As M. Pan got the others away from the immediate vicinity, M. Natsuki quickly grabbed hold of M. Aka's wrists and slammed a kick straight into M. Aka's chin. M. Aka stumbled slightly, but didn't have time to react as M. Natsuki spun in the air before delivering another kick to the side of M. Aka's head.

M. Trunks, who had recovered quickly from the quick attack, joined M. Natsuki as M. Aka was sent flying. In only a matter of seconds, M. Aka returned to his feet as if nothing had just occurred. M. Natsuki's eyes widened for a split second before once more narrowing. "What the hell?" she demanded in a lower voice so M. Aka couldn't hear them.

M. Trunks grimaced. "Tarble did say Abo and Cado were Frieza's level each individually. Fusing the two…who knows their strength." He replied, trying to make sense. Even he had to admit, while M. Natsuki wasn't at full power, the hits she landed should have at least made it harder for M. Aka to get to his feet again.

"I don't think that's it." M. Natsuki replied quickly. "You felt it, too, earlier. Didn't you?" M. Aka smirked as he brushed the dust off his shoulder before facing back to M. Trunks and M. Natsuki. "Something feels off about him." M. Trunks and M. Natsuki exchanged a brief look before nodding and simultaneously turning super Saiyan.

"Awesome!" M. Goshan exclaimed as he watched with awe. "This is when the show starts!"

"Yeah…no kidding." M. Tarble murmured as rubbed the side of his head. M. Tarble had his scouter focused on M. Trunks and M. Natsuki when their sudden power increase caused his scouter to explode. Shaking his head, M. Tarble looked at the super Saiyans in front of him. "The idea of a Super Saiyan was only a myth when I was a kid. I had no idea the myth was actually possible." M. Tarble smiled widely as his confidence of a resolution to a years-long problem was finally possible. "With that kind of power, there's no doubt they'll win."

M. Pan smiled widely as well. "Of course they'll win." She said, directing her smile to M. Tarble and M. Gure. "You'll never have to worry about them after this."

M. Aka charged towards M. Trunks and M. Natsuki, both fists outstretched for their intended targets. While M. Trunks blocked M. Aka's fist, M. Natsuki phased out of the way to land a ki-enhanced kick to the front of M. Aka's neck. M. Aka was, once again, sent hurdling. M. Natsuki phased once more to appear behind him, landing a series of punches on M. Aka before sending him hurdling back towards M. Trunks. M. Trunks stopped M. Aka rapid falling by landing a punch to M. Aka's middle. M. Trunks then flipped over the now halted M. Aka and kicked M. Aka into the dirt before quickly charging and firing a large blast.

M. Natsuki landed besides M. Trunks as the dust began to settle. To their shock, the silhouette of M. Aka's figure could be seen within the dust cloud. "How is that possible?" M. Trunks exclaimed. "That was point blank range!"

"I told you…something is off with him." M. Natsuki murmured.

"Wahaha no Ha!" M. Aka exclaimed as a green beam came from within the dust cloud. M. Trunks and M. Natsuki dodged to separate before anything else could be said between the two. M. Aka appeared between the two as the blast dissipated and grabbing them by their necks. M. Aka dragged them through the ground before throwing them towards a cliff. M. Trunks managed to get his feet onto the ground and used them and his hand to slow his momentum. M. Natsuki, on the other hand, used her hand to flip and land on her feet.

Before either could catch their breath, M. Aka charged another green blast. This one, however, was brought up to his mouth. "Super Wahaha no Ha!" M. Aka yelled. When he blew, the once green blast turned into many compact red blasts.

M. Trunks immediately brough up a ki shield around himself. When M. Trunks turned to his left, he saw M. Natsuki charging up. "Natsuki!" he called, only to be too late as his wife charged head on into the compact ki blasts.

Ignoring M. Trunks, M. Natsuki used her speed to her advantage and dodged most of the blasts as she made her way to M. Aka. While a few had hit her, but M. Natsuki pushed on. This fight had gone on long enough in her opinion and she wasn't going to let it go on any longer.

M. Aka was startled out of his confidence upon seeing M. Natsuki charging towards him despite his attack. "Wha-" he started to say before M. Natsuki disappeared from his vision. In another split second, M. Natsuki had appeared directly in front of him and landed a decisive blow to his abdomen. "H-How did you?"

M. Natsuki glared at M. Aka. "This has gone on long enough." She stated simply as she brought her hands together to charge. "Ka-me-ha-me-HA!" M. Aka barely had a chance to register what happened before the powerful blast hit him head on.

M. Trunks reduced his power so he fell out of super Saiyan as he looked at his wife with a perplexed look as she fell out of her super Saiyan form as well. While M. Trunks knew she was a good fighter, M. Trunks had didn't think she was the type to take chances like that. In his eyes, her actions were out of character. His perplexed look quickly shifted to that of frustration. But, remembering what his mother had told him earlier, M. Trunks breathed deeply a few times to calm himself. Now wasn't the time to bring this up.

At least Tarble and Gure can live on without that threat. M. Trunks thought to himself as he walked to join his wife. M. Trunks crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to think to himself. Aka's power felt different, just as Nat said. And the way he reacted to some of the blows we landed on him… Even someone with that strength wouldn't take hits like ours like they were nothing. And it's not like Aka's strength was surpassing our own. Something isn't right here…

"That was awesome!" M. Goshan exclaimed in awe as he stopped in front of his parents. M. Trunks had uncrossed his arms and wiped the perplexed look off his face so no one would ask if something was wrong. "You got to teach me how to do that!"

M. Trunks shook the darker thoughts out of his head for the moment. He could focus on them later. Instead, M. Trunks gave his son an amused smile as he patted his son's head. "Maybe when you're a bit older." He replied.

"Aw…" M. Goshan complained as he pouted.

M. Trunks knelt to his son's level. "There's no rush to become strong, Goshan. You're only 4 years old." He spoke. M. Goshan looked up, disappointment still clear in his eyes.

"You're father's right, Goshan." M. Natsuki agreed, causing her son to look in her direction. "You have your entire life to get stronger. There's no need for you to get to that level so soon. Your father and I can defend the Earth for now. When you and your sister are older, then the two of you can take the mantle."

"Really?" M. Goshan asked.

M. Laise had joined her brother's side along with M. Pan, who stood behind the twins. "We'll take on defending the Earth?" she asked.

"Only if you want to." M. Trunks stated, getting eager nods from the twins. M. Goshan's eyes were filled with excitement at getting as strong as his parents and the enemies he would be able to defeat. M. Laise, on the other hand, held determination in her eyes as she wanted to make not only her parents, but her deceased family members proud. M. Trunks nodded in M. Pan's direction. "Alongside Pan, of course!" M. Pan smiled and nodded in agreement.

"With the two of you as parents, I don't think the Earth will have problems in the future." M. Tarble spoke as both he and M. Gure joined them. "I didn't think anyone could take out Abo and Cado that quickly."

M. Natsuki gave M. Tarble a bittersweet smile. "With some of the things that Trunks and I have had to deal with in the past, we've had no choice but to get stronger." She replied.

"I guess that makes sense." M. Tarble stated. A perplexed look came over M. Tarble's face as he gazed at the spot M. Aka had been before M. Natsuki's final blow. M. Tarble looked away from the spot to his wife, who was by his side. "What should we do now?"

M. Gure turned thoughtful herself. "Should we go back home?" she asked in a meek voice.

M. Tarble grimaced in distain. "Is it even still there?" he questioned. "Abo and Cado were easily angered. Who knows what they did when we escaped their grasp."

M. Trunks patted his son's head one more time before standing to his full height. "Why don't you stay here for a bit?" he suggested.

M. Tarble and M. Gure looked at M. Trunks with wide eyes. "Oh no. We couldn't impose-" M. Gure started, but stopped when M. Trunks started shaking his head.

"Don't worry so much!" M. Trunks assured. "It'd be nice to have you guys around for a bit. My father died when I was only a baby, so I don't remember him much. I'd love to hear some of the stories you have, uncle, from when you guys were kids." M. Tarble chuckled nervously at the thought. "Besides, mom sure wouldn't mind meeting you guys. She'd be able to tell you about how father came to Earth."

M. Natsuki couldn't help the amused laugh that came out, barely able to cover it up with a cough. M. Trunks shot his wife a look, but couldn't help the amused look that came to his eyes either as they both knew the truth. M. Tarble seemed to catch on. "Well, it seems the story may be quite amusing." He stated.

"You'll understand when you meet my mother." M. Trunks explained further.

M. Natsuki turned serious once more. "It'd probably be best if you stuck around a bit, anyway." She said, getting the attention of M. Tarble and M. Gure. "Aka's power was felt…different than what I've felt before and his reactions were…strange, to say the least. I…just have this nagging feeling that we haven't seen the last of this." M. Gure gulped in nervousness as she grabbed M. Tarble's hand. "At least on Earth, you'd be safer with Trunks and I around."

"You can always check your home planet later on to see if it's survived." M. Trunks offered.

M. Tarble nodded. "We'll take you up on the offer. Let's hope that this was the end of it." He said, but connected eyes with M. Natsuki. "But I agree with you. Ever since Abo and Cado came across us out of nowhere, something felt off. And that feeling still hasn't left me."

"Interesting…very interesting indeed." M. Babidi's voice broke the silence in the small confines of the room.

M. Dabura crossed his arms as his eyebrows furrowed. "I had expected the fight to last a bit longer than that." He grumbled. "We barely gathered any energy from that fight."

M. Babidi, however, didn't share the same disappointment as his minion did. "That's fine. I wasn't looking for energy for Buu." He stated, getting a confused look from M. Dabura. M. Babidi gave his minion an exasperated look before looking back at the crystal ball. With a wave of his hand, M. Babidi made it so the crystal ball showed the fight once more, stopping the recording just before M. Aka was killed by M. Natsuki. "Don't you see Dabura? The potential from her alone is impressive!"

"She does seem quite strong." M. Dabura agreed as he uncrossed his arms. "But will it be enough?"

M. Babidi looked at the crystal ball as an evil, malicious smile quickly grew. "Oh the potential is endless!" he exclaimed, excited for the first time in quite a while. "I can see it now!" M. Babidi quickly turned away from the crystal ball and waved at M. Dabura. "Make a course for Earth. Quicky, Dabura!"

M. Dabura bowed to his master. "Of course, Master! Right on it!" he declared before quickly running off.

With M. Dabura gone, M. Babidi looked at the crystal ball once more. "Oh, the potential…" he said as he his evil, malicious grin turned into a smirk. "I can feel your anger from here, my dear." After a few more moments of looking through the crystal ball, M. Babidi finally took his eyes of it to look at the pod once more. "Just a little bit longer, Buu and you'll be out of that stupid cocoon."

In agreement, the group decided to return to Capsule Corporation. After assuring M. Tarble that they could retrieve their space pods at a later date, the group took off with M. Goshan and M. Laise being carried for the ride. When they landed in front of Capsule Corporation, M. Trunks put M. Laise down before telling M. Natsuki that he'd go get his mother from his office. M. Natsuki showed M. Tarble and M. Gure to the living room before herding M. Goshan and M. Laise to their room for a nap with the help of M. Pan.

"You really think something bad is going to happen?" M. Pan asked in a hushed tone as they left the twins' room.

M. Natsuki grimaced at the thought. "That power didn't feel right." She said as they began to make their way back to the living room. "It felt unnatural." M. Natsuki gave her cousin a hard look. "Just keep an eye out for a bit. If you feel anything strange, let me know."

M. Pan nodded. "Right!" she said, giving her cousin an assuring smile. "You can count on me, Nat! I am your student after all!" M. Natsuki returned the smile as they heard M. Bulma's voice once they were close enough to the living room.

"You're Vegeta's brother?" They heard M. Bulma exclaim in shock. "You act nothing like the man."

M. Tarble chuckled as M. Natsuki and M. Pan joined them. "That's funny, Natsuki said something similar." He replied.

M. Bulma sat on the couch nearby, staring in disbelief at M. Tarble. "I had no idea he had a younger brother." She stated.

"That's no surprise." M. Tarble said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I was sent away by our father because I didn't have the same aggression or drive to fight that the other Saiyans have-or had, I guess. I wasn't much of a fighter in my father's eyes, so he sent me away to another planet as I was a disgrace to our royal blood."

M. Bulma scoffed. "That's ridiculous!" she said as she crossed her arms. "That's no reason to disregard your child!"

M. Tarble gave her a smile. "I appreciate the sentiment, but it doesn't really affect me. Not anymore at least." He assured, shrugging his shoulders. "Vegeta, while he was hard-headed," M. Bulma made a sound of agreement, getting M. Tarble to smile. "and everything our father wanted, he never treated me like our father did. I mean, of course Vegeta critiqued my lack of fighting skill and drive, but he at least tried to communicate with me after my banishment. Well…until the planet was destroyed by that meteor. I only heard of what happened through rumors after that. That's how I knew Vegeta had survived our planet's destruction."

"It wasn't a meteor, Tarble." M. Natsuki said in a softer tone. M. Tarble looked up at her in confusion. "Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta himself out of fear of the Legendary Super Saiyan."

It was M. Tarble's turn to grimace, a brief flash of anger entered his eyes before being replaced with a bittersweet look. "Well, I guess that explains why I never heard from Vegeta after that." He said, briefly turning to M. Gure as she had briefly tightened her grip on his hand to comfort him. "I suppose it was his way of protecting me."

M. Bulma still had her arms crossed as she processed the way M. Tarble talked about his brother. She relaxed her arms and a smile came to her face. "I always knew below that cold, egotisical exterior of his there had to be a good person somewhere underneath." She stated, a far away look in her eyes as she reminisced on memories when he was alive. M. Trunks and M. Pan covered their chuckles as they heard M. Natsuki mutter "deep, deep, deep down" under her breath.

M. Tarble noticed the look in her eyes and smiled in return. "I'm glad my brother found someone to love him like you do." He said, immediately causing a dark blush to appear on M. Bulma's cheeks. M. Trunks and M. Natsuki chuckled at her expense, but didn't tease her any further.

"So…uh, how'd you meet, uh,…Gure, right?" M. Bulma asked in a flustered manner, looking towards M. Gure to make sure she got her name right. M. Gure nodded her head in confirmation.

"I've known her since we were children." M. Tarble explained, shooting M. Gure a wide smile. "She was one of the first I befriended after my banishment. If it weren't for her, I probably would have made even more of an embarrassment out of myself."

"You weren't that bad." M. Gure assured in a soft voice, giving her husband an encouraging smile. "Maybe if you were more aggressive like the other Saiyan, then it would have caused problems, but you adjusted pretty well. Many liked you, Tarble!"

"There are a few that would disagree with you, dear." M. Tarble replied.

M. Bulma rolled her eyes as she waved her hand in the air. "That's everywhere you go." She stated, taking M. Gure's side on the matter. "Vegeta had it no better."

"How did my brother come to Earth, anyway?" M. Tarble asked curiously.

Knowing a long story was about to occur, M. Pan stepped forward with a smile on her face. "It was a pleasure meeting you two, but I have to return home. Mama and Grandma are probably wondering where I am. I've been out longer than I said I would." She said. M. Pan started to rub the back of her head in nervousness. "Grandma hasn't changed much…even if the androids are gone now. Mama's better, but she still worries about me."

"Oh, right!" M. Bulma said. "Tell ChiChi and Videl I said 'hi' will you?"

M. Pan nodded. "Definitely! We'll see you at the tournament coming up soon!" she said.

"Tournament?" M. Tarble questioned.

"It's a martial arts tournament." M. Bulma explained. "They used to be more common back in the day, but…" M. Tarble nodded, understanding it must be a sore subject when M. Bulma trailed off.

M. Pan smiled at M. Tarble. "You should join!" she encouraged.

"Huh? Me?" M. Tarble exclaimed in shock, pointing to himself before violently shaking his head. "There's no way I'd be strong enough! I'd only make a fool of myself."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short, uncle." M. Trunks disagreed, getting a questioning look from M. Tarble. "Many Earthlings aren't fighters either."

M. Pan gave M. Tarble an encouraging grin. "You may not be able to beat Trunks and Nat, they're the strongest on the Earth after all!" she said. A thoughtful look came over M. Pan's face as she brought her fingers up to her chin. "Nat's students are probably the strongest humans that Earth has." The thoughtful look left M. Pan's face as she, once again, shot an encouraging smile to M. Tarble after seeing the nervousness on his face. "But I'm sure you'll do really well!"

"Are you going to be entering?" M. Tarble questioned M. Pan, juding based on her excitement.

M. Pan deflated. "No. I'm only 15." She replied. "The tournament is for anyone 18 years and older." M. Pan grimanced. "I don't qualify."

M. Natsuki patted her cousin's shoulder. "It's only this year. Next time, Pan." She encouraged. If this tournament went as planned, then the concept of the tournament returning would be more widely accepted and the restrictions placed for this tournament would be loosened.

"But Trunks and Natsuki will be entering." M. Bulma went on to explain. "Who knows, you may surprise yourself."

While M. Tarble was still unsure, he nodded anyway. "I suppose I'll give it a shot…" he said nervously as a sweatdrop made it's way down the back of M. Tarble's neck.

M. Gure gave her husband an encouraging smile. "You can do it, Tarble! I'll cheer you on." she said.

A look of determination entered M. Tarble's eyes and look at M. Gure with said eyes. "I'll make you proud, Gure! I promise!" he declared, earning a small giggle from M. Gure.

In the next moment, M. Pan yelped as her phone vibrated in her pocket. M. Pan frantically dug it out of her pocket to answer. "H-Hello?" she answered, slightly nervously. "Uh…Sorry, mom. I'm on my way now…okay…bye." M. Natsuki raised an eyebrow towards M. Pan, who returned her cousin's look with one that begged for help as she hung up the phone. "I, uh, have to go home."

M. Bulma looked at the younger girl in amusement. "See you later!" she said.

M. Natsuki patted her cousin's shoulder. "I'll be accompany her home." She informed. "I need to see grandma anyway."

M. Bulma nodded before turning her attention back towards M. Tarble. "Back to Vegeta. To explain how he got to Earth, I need to start from the beginning." She explained as she started off by talking of the appearance of how she met M. Goku and the appearance of M. Raditz, M. Goku's brother. M. Trunks sat in the living room only half listening to his mother's story telling as he watched his wife leave, his brows furrowed in concern. Of all times for trouble to start rearing it's ugly head… His thoughts trailed off.

The journey to Mount Pazu had been made in relative silence. M. Pan was flying with her back facing towards the ground in thought. "Do we have to tell Mama and Grandma what happened?" she asked.

M. Natsuki raised an eyebrow at her cousin. "And how would you explain the sudden appearance of Tarble and Gure? Especially since Tarble'll be joining the tournament as well. Grandma and Videl will meet them then." She stated.

M. Pan sighed. "I know…but Grandma takes things so seriously." She said as she flipped over, looking towards her cousin. "Do you know how long it took Mama to convince Grandma to let me train with you?"

"I think she has every reason to be worried, Pan." M. Natsuki replied evenly. "And I remember well, because I also talked to Grandma about that." M. Natsuki sighed as the memory entered and left her mind. "Grandma has lost a lot because of the androids…last thing she wants is to lose someone else."

M. Pan looked at the distant ground solemnly. Immediately the thought of her father had entered her mind when M. Natsuki had said that. "I know…I…" she sighed again. "I just don't want her to worry."

"Don't worry about telling Grandma anything, Pan." M. Natsuki stated, earning her younger cousin's attention. "I'll tell Grandma what happened…leaving out my suspicions while I'm at it." M. Natsuki furrowed her eyebrows. "…I could just be paranoid."

Nothing else was said between the cousins as they finished their journey to Mount Pazu. Once there, they landed in front of what used to be the home M. ChiChi had shared with M. Goku and M. Gohan. A small addition was made to the small home after the androids defeat with the help of M. Trunks and M. Natsuki to accomadate M. Videl and M. Pan. M. Natsuki had stayed with M. ChiChi for a while longer until her and M. Trunks had gotten married. While having M. Natsuki leave the house had made M. ChiChi sad briefly, M. ChiChi was happy to see M. Natsuki getting married and making a life of her own. Something that neither of her children had been able to truly do. The presence of M. Videl and M. Pan in the house helped quell her worried thoughts and gave M. ChiChi company to keep her busy.

"What took you two so long?" M. Videl questioned. M. Gohan had taught her the basics of energy sensing, both to identify the general location the androids were attacking but also to determine where M. Gohan might have been taken down. Thanks to that knowledge, M. Videl had been waiting outside the Son household with her arms crossed as soon as she felt their energies approaching.

A sheepish look came over M. Pan's face. "Sorry, Mama." She said.

M. Videl sighed, dropping her crossed arms and pulling her daughter into a hug. M. Videl ended the hug and looked in M. Natsuki's direction. "I felt your power level rise, Natsuki. Trunks' as well." She said, silently voicing her worries. "Then there was this other power level. It was…"

"…Dark?" M. Natsuki finished, getting a nod from M. Videl. "Trust me, I know. It was even stranger feeling it up close." M. Videl raised an eyebrow, silently probing her niece for more information. M. Natsuki shook her head. "Trunks and I took care of it, but just for safety sake, keep en eye out. I've been having this nagging feeling that we haven't seen the last of it." M. Videl nodded, grimacing. "Pan can explain the details. I'm going to let Grandma know…but don't tell her about my suspicions."

"Course not." M. Videl said. "Last thing she needs is to worry some more." M. Videl shrugged. "Who knows? I mean, it has been a while since you and Trunks have come across an enemy. Maybe it's just been a while?"

"Yeah, maybe." M. Natsuki said, but not believing it for a second.

Without another word, M. Natsuki entered the familier home. M. Natsuk found her grandmother in the kitchen, a sight that had been a staple even during the androids' threat. As her grandmother has said, it kept her busy.

"Oh! Natsuki, good, you're here!" M. ChiChi greeted as soon as her eyes caught the sight of her granddaughter. "Videl said she felt you coming here with Pan." M. ChiChi briefly paused her work to turn to look at M. Natsuki. "I'm starting dinner. You can stay for dinner, can't you?"

M. Natsuki smiled at M. ChiChi. "How can I say 'no' to your cooking?" she said, giving a small laugh.

M. ChiChi smiled as she turned back to what she had been doing. "Good." She said. "It's been a little bit since the last time. You really need to bring Goshan and Laise over for dinner sometime. Trunks too."

M. Natsuki sat at one of the dinning chairs. "Sorry." She said as a brief flash of regret cross her eyes. A look that M. ChiChi didn't miss. "Trunks and I have been busy as of late."

"I know that look." M. ChiChi said, startling her granddaughter. M. Natsuki furrowed her eyebrows, looking at her grandmother in confusion. "It's a look I saw on Gohan's face when he was still alive. Mainly after Videl came into the picture, of course."

"Grandma-" M. Natsuki started, but was silenced by her the look on her grandmother's face.

M. ChiChi, once again, stopped what she was doing and turned to face her granddaughter. "Natsuki, you may be your mother's daughter, but it is Gohan that raised you. And I know my son." She said, giving her daughter a stern look. M. Natsuki, unable to handle the weight of the look, looked down to her hands that rested on the table. M. ChiChi's sigh filled the room as M. ChiChi joined M. Natsuki at the table. "I'm not going to lecture you. I made that mistake with Gohan." A sad look came over M. ChiChi's face briefly. "It cause so many arguments between us." M. ChiChi raised M. Natsuki's chin so their eyes could meet. "So, I'll only say this. Sometimes the things we need to do, are the hardest."

"Grandma…" M. Natsuk said, this time more subdued then before. Unable to see the emotion in her grandmother's eyes, M. Natsuki turned her head away once more.

"Natsuki, I'm sure that I'm not the first one to confront you." M. ChiChi stated in a soft voice, a voice that hadn't been used with M. Natsuki in regards to this situation. Where M. Trunks' approach was yelling and M. Videl's was stern, M. ChiChi was being gentle. "But, Natsuki, I saw what Gohan did to himself…the guilt, the anger…" M. ChiChi placed her hand on M. Natuski's cheek, bringing her face towards her again. "I don't want you doing the same he did…and I'm sure Gohan wouldn't want you to either." A heavy silence was left between the two of them. M. ChiChi dropped her hand from her granddaughter's cheek and gave her an encouraging smile. "I know it's hard, what you've gone through. But, if I can get through losing my husband and my children, then I'm sure you can get through what you're working through."

M. Natsuki's eyes widened at the subject her grandmother brought up. "Grandma, I-"

M. ChiChi gave her a bittersweet smile. "I'm stronger than you think, Natsuki. After all, I was Goku's wife." She said, giving a light laugh before sobering up once more. "I may have lost my husband and both of my children…" M. ChiChi laid her hand on M. Natsuki's cheek again as tears gathered in her own eyes. "But I have you and Pan." M. ChiChi wiped a tear that had begun to fall down her cheek. "To me, I have a piece of them right here with me." There was a brief pause between the two. "It's all about perspective, Natsuki. If I spent all my time focusing on what I didn't have, then what's the point? Do you understand?"

"I understand, Grandma." M. Natsuki said in a low tone.

"Good." M. ChiChi said before pulling her granddaughter into a hug. Only there, embraced by her grandmother, did M. Natsuki feel the tears start to bubble to the surface. The only thing betraying M. Natsuki's feelings was the slight tightness of her grip as she returned her grandmother's embrace. M. ChiChi didn't say anything further on the matter, only held her granddaughter a bit longer before patting her back and pulling away. "I out to go back to preparing dinner or it's going to burn."

"Right." M. Natsuki said in gruff tone, the emotional exchange starting to affect her ability to talk properly.

As M. ChiChi returned to cooking, M. Natsuki brought up the sudden appearance of M. Tarble and M. Gure. M. Natsuki was quick to assure her grandmother that the threat had been taken care of. Regardless of what her grandmother said about being stronger than she thought, M. Natsuki still didn't tell her grandmother of her suspicions. M. ChiChi had never been a fan of M. Vegeta, so to say she was surprised at how different M. Tarble acted in comparison would be an understatement.

It wasn't long after M. Natsuki explained what had kept her and M. Pan up longer than anticipated when M. Videl and M. Pan finally joined the two in the kitchen. M. Natsuki had alerted M. Trunks through her wrist device that she'd be having dinner with M. ChiChi, M. Videl, and M. Pan and would be home later in the night. So, with that out of the way, M. Natsuki enjoyed a night away from the scrutinizing gaze of her husband. When dinner was finished, M. Natsuki cleaned up the dishes with the help of M. Pan despite her grandmother's complaints of her being a guest. M. Natsuki brushed it off, saying she didn't mind.

Once the task was compelted, M. Natsuki bid the trio farewell before taking off into the night. The silence of the flight home gave M. Natsuki plenty of time to reflect on the days events. While the dinner with M. Natsuki had boosted her mood, M. Natsuki couldn't help but return to a solemn mood as she began to worry more and more of if and when and what the new potential threat could be…or if there even was a threat to begin with. And if there was, could the Earth handle another threat in it's still fragile state? Frustration grew in M. Natsuki as she thought of how far the Earth had come and how much work had been placed into repairing the damage both physically and metaphorically done by the androids' reign of terror.

M. Natsuki stopped suddenly as her frustration and worry reached a boiling point. Bringing her wrist in front of her, M. Natsuki tapped a few things before a ringing sound filled the nightly air. M. Natsuki didn't have to wait long as a monotone, robotic voice answered.

"Natsuki." The robotic voice greeted. "Is there something that requires my attention?"

M. Natsuki grimaced. "Not at the moment in particular." She said in an obviously distracted tone as she thought through different senarios. "I am reassigning your station."

"What is my new directive?" The robotic voice once again voice through M. Natsuki's wrist device.

"The 25th World Martial Arts Tournament is going to be taking place in two weeks." M. Natsuki began. "You're aware of what transpired earlier today, correct?"

"Affirmative." The robotic voice replied.

"The energy displayed a…darker element to it. Something about it tells me we'll be seeing it again and it would be prime opportunity for whoever it may be to target the tournament." M. Natsuki explained further as she hovered, deep in thought. "I'm going to be part of the tournament, so I won't necessarily be able to keep a keen eye on everything going on." M. Natsuki shifted her positioning as she talked. "That's where you'll come in. I'll have a device in my ear so I can keep communication with you. You'll be my eyes and ears during the tournament in case something goes astray."

"Should I inform the Continuity Accord for you?" The robotic voice questioned.

M. Natsuki shook her head as she returned her gaze to her wrist device. "No, I'll tell them myself." She informed. "Just get things ready. Set up the South City base for monitoring the camera system, just in case."

"Affirmative."

M. Natsuki sighed. "I'll be counting on you…Android 16." She said.

A.N.: Another surprise twist! I'm on a roll here, lol! I actually got the idea of including 16 in the Mirai Timeline from reading the fan manga 'Dragon Ball Multiverse'. The fight with Aka was short, I know, but it was meant to be. These initial chapters have been meant to set up the story. Next Chapter, the story starts rolling!

Let me know what you think of this chapter.

Likes? Dislikes? General Opinions?

Next Chapter Title: Let the Tournament Commence!

Until next time!